"When you see the impact that water issues have on local communities, you simply can't ignore it"
The Guardiola Sala Foundation was founded in 2021. A project led by four siblings, the Foundation is based on the values of sport, promoting the integration of the least advantaged in society.
Manchester City Football Club manager, Pep Guardiola, has partnered with Xylem to promote public engagement in the world’s water challenges. Through the Guardiola Sala Foundation, the alliance will support numerous community initiatives. Pep Guardiola spoke to Alejandro Maceira, Founder and Director of iAgua and Smart Water Magazine, about this innovative collaboration. Together, Xylem and the Guardiola Sala Foundation aim to reach hundreds of millions of people, and to motivate young people to address water challenges in their own communities.
Why did you choose water as a part of your philanthropic work with the Guardiola Sala Foundation?
My family and I launched the Guardiola Sala Foundation in 2021 in memory of our late mother who passed away in 2020. She was an exceptional person who devoted much of her life to helping people, we wanted to honour her memory by working to improve the lives of underprivileged families and children.
Growing up in Catalonia, I was aware of the risk of drought – it’s no secret that our country experiences difficulties with water scarcity
Growing up in Catalonia, I was always aware of the risk of drought – it’s no secret that our country is experiencing difficulties with water scarcity. In fact, this past winter has been one of the driest on record. When you see the impact that water issues have on local communities, you simply can’t ignore it. This is why we wanted to include water and sanitation education programmes into our work, to help young people become more aware of the problem so they can take action.
How did the Guardiola Sala Foundation get involved with global water technology company Xylem?
For us, the partnership with Xylem was a perfect match. We were aware of Xylem’s work through its wider partnership with Manchester City Football Club, and how this helped raise awareness of global water issues. Football can be a powerful force for change, particularly when it comes to engaging young people. Young fans are so invested in the game – they live and breathe it. Together, Xylem and Manchester City have reached a global audience with a powerful message around water issues, so for us, forming a separate partnership through the Guardiola Sala Foundation seemed like a natural extension of this. By combining our efforts, together we can do more.
Which water issues will the Guardiola Sala Foundation focus on through its partnership with Xylem?
We’re very aware that a critical way to make progress in tackling water issues is to raise awareness. By focusing on young people, we can motivate the next generation to help solve these problems before it’s too late. So, for us, it’s about raising awareness of all water issues, from accessibility to affordability and resiliency. They are all connected – you can’t address one without the other.
By focusing on young people, we can motivate the next generation to help solve various water issues before it is too late
When we launched the Guardiola Foundation last year, we partnered with Xylem and EarthEcho International to launch Water Challenge Catalonia, a series of water education events for young school children in the area. The initiative established a sustainable youth engagement programme around protecting water resources in Catalonia, and we provided training materials for school teachers in the region. We also identified fifteen young leaders to serve as Water Challenge Catalonia Ambassadors to help educate others in the community on local water challenges, and we provided them with tools to test and detect water issues in Spain’s waterways.
Our aim long term is to continue to help improve the lives of people around the world, to contribute what we can and drive lasting change
What are the short term and long-term goals of the foundation?
Our vision for the foundation is simple. We want to promote better integration of society to create more vibrant and sustainable communities, particularly through youth engagement programmes. The goal is to improve the lives of underprivileged people around the world.
Our partnerships with Xylem and EarthEcho International play a huge part in this, particularly when it comes to increasing access to water. Outside of this, we have worked with local schools in Barcelona to provide summer camp scholarships for disadvantaged children, and we’ve also partnered with the United Kingdom division of The Salvation Army to help address homelessness.
Youth hold the key to our future. By inspiring them to take action, the world will be one step closer to becoming a better place for everyone
Our aim in the long term is to really continue to help improve the lives of people around the world, to contribute what we can and drive real and lasting change.
How does your experience working with youth and sports come into play here?
As mentioned, football can be a powerful catalyst for change. The potential we have to tackle major societal issues and inequalities through sport, including those related to sustainability and health equity, is really what inspired my family to create the Guardiola Sala Foundation. As a sport, football is associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication, and our youth embody those qualities so well. By tapping into their energy, we can drive real change in the world. Youth hold the key to our future, and by inspiring them to take action now, the world will be one step closer to becoming a better place for everyone.