Breadline Africa, in partnership with Mark Barnes, has commenced a campaign to raise R156 million to replace 4,000 pit toilets at 240 schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Development Diaries reports that 3,398 schools in South Africa still use pit toilets, according to the country’s Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga.
It is understood that the pit toilets continue to put the health and safety of learners at risk across the country despite the South African government promising to replace all pit toilets in schools nationwide by 31 March, 2023.
The cooperation between Barnes and Breadline Africa was established after the terrible drowning death of Langalam Viki, a four-year-old in the Eastern Cape who was reportedly found in a school pit latrine in early March.
‘Our campaign is raising R156-million. It’s a lot of money, but it’s nothing in the context of the difference it can make in how people feel about themselves’, said Barnes.
Having clean, working toilets and water for handwashing are included in children’s rights to good education. Without these amenities, children risk missing school when they develop gastroenteritis or other illnesses like respiratory infections that spread through touch with dirty hands, or if girls do not have private rooms for their periods.
The two KwaZulu-Natal schools that have benefited from the campaign are Umsunduze Primary and Insuze-Gcwensa Primary.
Photo source: Ryan Logie/Daily Maverick
