In 2020, the Viva con Agua network expanded to include another independent organisation: Viva con Agua South Africa was founded. As an independent organisation, it implements WASH projects (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) in cooperation with local authorities, service providers and, above all, directly with the local community.
South Africa has the greatest social imbalance in the world (see World Bank 2022). The gap between rich and poor is enormous. COVID-19 has once again emphasised the health effects of the lack of access to clean water, toilets and hand-washing facilities for unserved or underserved population groups.
This is why Viva con Agua in South Africa is committed to ensuring access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all people.
The WASH projects in South Africa
#1
Toilets and drinking water for schools
A school without clean drinking water, too few toilets and hand-washing facilities? Hardly imaginable for us. In rural South Africa, however, almost 20% of the population still has no or only limited access to drinking water.
In the Eastern Cape, in Bulungula, Viva con Agua South Africa provides clean drinking water, toilets and hand-washing facilities for over 20,000 schoolchildren and their teachers at 50 schools. Access to clean water and sanitary facilities reduces the spread of water-borne diseases and thus also school absenteeism. The children’s educational opportunities are improved.
Health-conscious hygiene behaviour is crucial for reducing the transmission and consequences of diseases. In particular, regular and effective hand washing with soap is crucial in addition to a clean WASH infrastructure.
In addition to the WASH infrastructure (rainwater tanks, toilets, hand-washing facilities) at schools in the Eastern Cape, Viva con Agua South Africa also places a strong focus on hygiene training. The VcA educational approach is playful and joyful in order to interactively and positively motivate the children and their teachers to adopt a long-term health-conscious lifestyle.
The “Football 4 WASH” approach, which was conceived by Viva con Agua Uganda and adapted by South Africa, starts right there. The children learn how to deal with water and hygiene through various creative games with footballs. For example, why it is important to wash their hands with soap and how quickly bacteria can spread.
To ensure that what they have learned is not forgotten, the children paint colourful murals on the school walls in collaboration with artists on the topic of WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene). For example, the children are reminded to wash their hands with soap every time they go to the toilet.
Bulungula Community Radio is a driving force for the social cohesion of village communities in the rural regions of the Eastern Cape in South Africa.
The local community radio station aims to motivate local people to adopt hygiene-conscious behaviours and actively engage in community change and development. By disseminating important WASH behaviours and information through the radio, the aim is to ensure that people can lead productive lives and ultimately strengthen social cohesion in remote rural communities.
Many people in South African cities also have no access to WASH. An estimated 5,000 homeless people live in Cape Town (see Department of Social Development South Africa). There is a lack of opportunities to wash and care for themselves and thus lead a dignified life.
All people have a right to water, sanitation and hygiene. We want to enable homeless people in Cape Town to live in dignity by providing a mobile WASH facility.
The “WASH Bus” aims to contribute to raising awareness of the human right to water and sanitation for the homeless. The project aims to improve rights-based access to basic WASH services for homeless people in Cape Town through a water, sanitation and hygiene facility in the form of a mobile bus.
