Kimberly-Clark and UNICEF: Empowering School Children
Kimberly-Clark and UNICEF: A Partnership Empowering School Children to Practice Good Hygiene
Mpumalanga, South Africa, 13 November 2017 – More than 2,000 children at Lekazi and Shishila Primary schools now have access to improved water and sanitation infrastructure, thanks to a partnership between Kimberly-Clark South Africa, UNICEF and the Mpumalanga Department of Education. These organisations recognise children as the most dynamic and fastest-growing economic force in the world today. As such, it is essential to empower them and ensure that their school curricula focus on practising good health and hygiene in a fun and engaging way.
The initiative started at the two schools as a pilot programme that is part of the Kimberly-Clark Toilets Change Lives campaign (TCL), which was launched at the beginning of September 2017. TCL aims to assist with the sanitation and hygiene conditions across the country, including hand-washing stations being built in schools. Hand-washing with soap is one of the most cost-effective interventions to prevent diarrhoea related illness and deaths. By ensuring hand-washing at critical times, up to 40 percent of diarrhoea-related deaths, up to 47 percent of all childhood diarrhoea cases, and up to 25 percent of respiratory infections can be prevented.
With funding raised by Kimberly-Clark through the sale of Baby Soft White 9’s in Spar, and implemented by UNICEF, not only are water stations constructed, but soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes are being provided, in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Education and the non-governmental organisation MiET Africa. The water stations provides water for up to 17 children at a time and the hand-washing and tooth-brushing exercise is now a key part of the daily routine of these children. This WASH programme is being rolled out in 292 primary schools in Mpumalanga, reaching almost 100,000 Grade R, 1 and 2 learners. Handwashing stations are due to be built in an additional 42 schools in the province.
“Unfortunately, there are a number of South African schools with poor water and sanitation facilities. Access to clean water and sanitation is a fundamental human right for every citizen. It is, therefore, unthinkable that diarrhoeal diseases related to unhygienic sanitation continue to be the leading cause of childhood deaths in the world. As such, the programme was created in partnership with the government to address this concern,” explained Kimberly-Clark Marketing Director, John Clark.
UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in South Africa ensures safe water, sanitation and hygiene to help children survive and thrive in the tough economic climate and is building commitment and capacity among key stakeholders – including school educators, community members and service providers – to drive behaviour change and make good hygiene and sanitation practices, as well as safe management of water, a habit among students.
“Schools, homes and health care facilities in vulnerable areas of the country are being provided with support to prevent and treat water, sanitation and hygiene related illnesses,” explains UNICEF’s representative in South Africa,” Herve Ludovic de Lys.
“Ensuring that South African children are educated about the importance of washing hands is only part of the battle; the real challenge comes in ensuring that the behaviour becomes a habit. This will go a long way in reducing school absenteeism due to diarrhoea and respiratory infections – two of the biggest killers amongst school-going children,” says IM Mazibuko, Principal of Shishila Primary School.
“We are pleased to have received so much support from UNICEF and Kimberly-Clark and we appreciate the commitment from business, UNICEF and government to work together for improved health and education outcomes for children who are the future of our community,” adds H Mhlongo, Principal of Lekazi Primary School.
To work towards making handwashing and tooth-brushing in schools a daily practical part of school life and in-order to make good hygiene and sanitation a reality in our country, the general assistants, together with Grade R, 1 and 2 teachers in all the schools were taken for training to learn more about the wash-bays installed. They were educated about the importance of good hygiene, as well as the general maintenance of the facilities to help ensure the longevity of this initiative.