On 26 March 2020, South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown requiring all South Africans to “shelter in place.” It was estimated that 2.4% of the South African population would require hospitalisation and 216,064 deaths would occur by the end of the pandemic if preventative measures weren’t put into place. 

Five months on and lockdown restrictions have lifted substantially in order to ease stress on South Africa’s ‘throttled’ economy[1], confirmed cases are reported to be over 600 000 with over 14 000 related deaths. The daily rate of infection has declined, however there is a concern that South Africans may experience a second surge if precautionary measures are not continued to be followed. Regions where there is a high economic activity have experienced the highest rates of infection  – beginning with Gauteng (33.3%) and KwaZulu-Natal (18%), and followed by Western Cape (16.8%).

Project Impact: To reduce Covid-19 transmission, as well as future diseases caused by poor sanitation; through providing access to clean water, improving sanitation facilities and educating on hygiene best practices in HFH SA’s partner communities.

Strategic Component: Community Hygiene Improvement

Good hygienic practices are the cornerstone for ensuring healthy communities and key to prevent the spread of the virus.

Outcome 1: Reducing and minimising the spread of Covid-19 infections in 8 identified high risk communities by December 2020 through access to sanitation and water.

Outputs:
1) 16 water tanks (10 000 litres) delivered and installed
2) 6 ablution facilities constructed in 6 pre-identified schools
3) Taps, water containers, sanitisers, soap, sanitary pads, thermometers & masks       delivered to 15 schools, serving 30 000 children