Prof chris buckley
Prof Chris Buckley was the Director of the UKZN Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Research and Development Centre (the WASH R&D Centre), formally known as the Pollution Research Group (PRG). He was a well-known, iconic figure in the international Water and Sanitation field, and touched the lives of many, both personally and professionally. As the mentoring of young people was a passion of Chris’s, his family has created a legacy in his name to support the upliftment and capacity building of young community members through an internship-type programme in the water and sanitation field.
The Umkhumbane Schools Project
This Water and Sanitation Internship is managed by the The Umkhumbane Schools Project, an education equity NGO working to promote social transformation through improved education access and outcomes in the historic Cato Manor township and informal settlement area of greater Durban, South Africa. Through the Umkhumbane Schools Project, the Internship will award annual stipends to highly qualified, low-income candidates pursuing a diploma in engineering or related field toward a career in the water, sanitation, or engineering sector as cost-of-living support for their in-service training year.
Although technical universities in South Africa require this in-service year, it is not covered by any financial aid scheme and the placements are often unpaid or paid at a rate that makes the year unaffordable for students from low-income families. This creates a formidable barrier to success for low-income students, many of whom end up having to discontinue their studies during this in-service year. Supporting the internship experience and work exposure directly reflects key criteria articulated by Chris’s family for the use of the funds collected in Chris’s memory: that the funds be used to further training and access for low-income people into the water sector, that the project include a community education component, and that it would somehow touch the community of Cato Manor, an area near to the Buckley’s home in Durban, and always near and dear to the family’s hearts.
To fulfil the community education component, the recipients of the Chris Buckley Water and Sanitation Internship fund will be required to help lead community education events in Cato Manor during their in-service year, supervised by Umkhumbane Schools Project staff and involving high school learners from Cato Manor schools. The interns and high school learners will conduct teaching and learning events in the community on topics such as water conservation, plastics pollution in our rivers, and climate change.
Two students will be selected each year to receive this support. Students are required to submit an application to the fund outlining their studies, the challenges they face and why they are interested in pursuing a career in water and/sanitation. Candidates are then shortlisted and interviewed by a committee.
Achievements
The Chris Buckley Water and Sanitation Internship programme was successfully launched in 2024, with the Umkhumbane Schools Project partnering with the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) for the nomination and selection of students, and uMngeni-uThukela Water who provide the in-service placement opportunity.
In 2025, two Candidates were selected from MUT, Ms Nolubabalo Ntabeni and Mr Msizi Mazibuko. These students have completed a very successful year of in-service training at uMngeni-uThukela Water, and were based at the Wiggins Water Treatment Works, a place where much of the early research into water treatment was undertaken by Chris and (the then) PRG.
As part of their community outreach requirement, the two students also presented on their work and the importance of conserving water to School learners in the Cato Manor area, and a poster competition was held for the learners to demonstrate what they had learned.
Two new candidates, have been selected for 2026 and as of June 2026, are undergoing induction at uMngeni-uThukela Water.
Reports
You can access reports (and sign up to receive reports) on the project and the progression of the students via the GlobalGiving donation page.
How You Can Contribute:
If you would like to continue to support this Internship fund and make a donation in Chris’s memory, there are two ways in which you can do this:
- For international donations, you can visit the GlobalGiving donation page.
- For South African donations, a dedicated interest-bearing account for EFTs has been set up through the Umkhumbane Schools Project, the details of which can be obtained by emailing them on info@umkhumbane.org. You can also visit their website for more information and follow the link to the Internship page.