Riverlution: Puzzle with a Purpose

Our collaboration with Puzzelize started at the end of 2021, when Linda contacted us with her idea. She started designing jigsaw puzzles during the first covid lockdown, and her unique wooden, eco-friendly puzzles soon became quite popular in South Africa where she is based. When she found our river basin map of Africa, she instantly fell in love with it, not only because of its colours and complexity, but also because she had been looking for a puzzle design that would resonate with Hennops Revival's river restoration work.

The Hennops River is one of the most polluted in the Gauteng province, thanks to the fact that it runs through one of the world's most populous cities (Johannesburg), and untreated sewage flows into it from several suburbs and townships. Hennops Revival is a non-profit organisation that works tirelessly to clean and restore the river - a gargantuan, never-ending task. Over the past four years, Tarryn and her team of river heroes have carried out over 700 clean-ups, removing over 4,500,000 kg (almost 10,000,000 pounds) of waste and debris. Browsing through their Facebook posts, you can see the tremendous effort involved in removing all the rubbish that the river brings downstream day after day.

When Linda explained that she wanted all proceeds from the puzzle to go to Hennops Revival, we were happy to waive the licence fee in support of their cause. Designing and manufacturing the puzzle took seven months and constant cooperation from the small team who worked on it. We enjoyed every minute of the process — it was fascinating to see how each new email took us closer to the final product.

And what a product it turned out to be! Inside the paper box, a beautiful, hand-sewn bag featuring a traditional South African pattern ensures that the pieces are kept safe and secure. The wooden pieces are sturdy, and the print quality is excellent.

The box contains 342 uniquely designed, handcrafted pieces, many of which are shaped like African wildlife. You can also find a grasshopper among the various birds, antelopes, plants, fish, big cats, insects and other animals, which makes the puzzle even more enjoyable. We had a great time discovering all the little details while solving ours.

The most interesting part of the puzzle for us is the large raindrop in the centre. It is reversible, revealing our logo on the other side. It's a fantastic idea, and we are so grateful for it!

The puzzle is called Riverlution, which comes from the motto of Hennops Revival: 'Join the Riverlution!'. Since its debut at the Bastille Market in Franschhoek last July, the Riverlution puzzle has been a firm favourite with Puzzelize customers.

This December, it can also be found in every room at the One&Only Cape Town luxury resort in South Africa. A variety of Linda's puzzles are now part of the hotel's activity area, and the hotel ordered more than one hundred Riverlution puzzles in November to give away as Christmas gifts. This is huge recognition for Puzzelize, a small business that grew out of a hobby. Over the past three years, Linda has donated more than 5,500 USD to Hennops Revival, and we hope that this opportunity will generate more exposure for them, which will hopefully lead to more donations. Fingers crossed!

This puzzle is one of the best things to ever happen to our maps. We are so happy to be part of this amazing project, and we are extremely proud of everyone's hard work: Linda, Michéll, Jaco and Ronaldo all put their best efforts in it.

The Riverlution puzzle is available on the Puzzelize website. Shipping is not yet available worldwide, but please send Linda a message to ask for a quote if you would like to buy one of her amazing creations.

Puzzelize photos are from Linda Liebenberg, used with permission.