Johannesburg - In support of the WHO-led Hand Hygiene for All (HH4A) initiative, launched a year ago the Heineken Africa Foundation (HAF) and international NGO WaterAid, renewed its commitment through additional funding for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects, targeted at 30 million people across Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, and Rwanda.
Phase 2 of the initiative builds on the foundation of the first by increasing access to clean water and handwashing facilities in high-risk areas such as informal settlements, clinics and schools.
The 10-month long project commenced this month and will run until April 2022 in Limpopo and Gauteng provinces, with a budget of more than R6.7 million. As the international community, health experts and governments take stock of the impact of HH4A, the private sector has come to the fore by ramping up its support to Covid-19 efforts in developing countries.
The HH4A campaign aims to ensure that people have access to clean water and facilities to wash their hands and prevent infection from Covid-19 and other diseases.
In 2020, the foundation provided more than R3 million in funding for a WaterAid project in South Africa, which saw the provision of sanitary products and the installation of handwashing facilities and other infrastructure, now providing access to clean running water among communities in informal settlements and rural areas.
The project which ran from June to December, enabled the installation of 20 handwashing facilities for people in areas such as Zandspruit, Kya Sand, and Kliptown. These communities were identified by the Department of Water and Sanitation as being in dire need of this necessity. Up to 10 000 people are now benefiting from the installed facilities.
WaterAid also joined forces with local NGO Tsogang in Limpopo Province, to instal water storage tanks and 12 handwashing facilities in Vhembe District and 18 000 people in the district are now able to access clean water and decent toilet facilities at home and in schools.
In addition, more than 4 000 women and girls in Thulamela and Makhado Municipalities in Vhembe and women and children at a Refugee camp in the town of Musina also benefited from the HAF Fund through donations of hygiene products including soap, sanitisers, and sanitary products.
Headman Ramaano, 75, from Limpopo – in the Vhembe District said: “I am very happy about this handwashing station and the big water tank that we now have. The community will now be able to wash their hands during our biweekly meetings, some of the people who live near our centre come to collect water here”.
Water Committee Chairperson from the Vhembe District, SE Ramakhokha said: “I am very happy to have a handwashing facility in our village. The handwash station caters to pensioners. Through this project the community now have a place to wash their hands in this difficult time of Covid-19”.
A community leader in Johannesburg said: “I gained a lot of information and knowledge from the training on hygiene and Covid-19. The training was practical, I have kept my pamphlet because it also has a calendar. I share the information when I go door to door to encourage and educate my community”.
WaterAid Southern Africa regional programme manager Elijah Adera said: “The strong support and partnership we have with the Heineken Africa Foundation has brought about tremendous transformation to WaterAid’s work on the ground. Tackling Covid-19 through the HH4A campaign cannot be a government effort alone and the foundation has shown how effective this work can be when the private sector steps in.”
“South Africa has the highest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in Africa, and as the country is in the grips of a third wave, we have seen increased numbers of infections and deaths, the HAF and WaterAid partnership is supporting the government’s efforts in ensuring that the most vulnerable people have the water and hygienic conditions for them to stay safe from infection,” said Adera.
The foundation has made available more than R85 million to fight Covid-19 in 2020-2021. For the first phase, more than R42.5 million was made available to support WaterAid in Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique and South Africa and World Vision in DRC, Ethiopia, Burundi and Sierra Leone.