South Africa
WASH Coalition building
There are many sector collaboration initiatives and structures in South Africa. These include a comprehensive coordination programme for water services called “masibambane”, Water Sector Forums in each province, and National, Provincial, and District Sanitation Task Teams. In addition to this, a WASH coalition has been established to support the WASH programme and campaign activities.
Focus
Since its launch in 2002, the South African WASH campaign has gradually been extended and is becoming an integral part of the work programme of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and its partners.
The campaign is targeting the general public with health and hygiene messages designed to create an awareness of the importance of good hygiene practices in improving health.
In 2003, DWAF, in partnership with Unilever, officially launched the WASH campaign for schools in South Africa. The campaign promotes handwashing with soap as an effective means of saving lives.
Activities, Milestones and Major Achievements
- Continuing its practice of working in partnership with the private sector and NGOs that are active in the sector, DWAF has expanded the installation of roundabout pumps in over 800 schools in the country, providing safe water to primary schools while using the hoardings above the pumps to promote WASH messages.
- Since World Water Week 2004, the annual “Women and Water Awards” and the “Basma le Meetse” (Youth) Awards have been organised to recognise the achievements of women and youth from different sectors and schools in the fields of art and culture, community work, research, project management, communications and other areas.
- Every year, a Sanitation Week is organised. Building on advocacy and communication for sustainable sanitation and hygiene, Sanitation Week is an annual awareness campaign about sanitation and hygiene, and the progress that government is making in providing sanitation for all.
- In addition to the Sanitation Weeks, the WASH campaign also takes the form of national/regional radio adverts, dance roadshows and billboards, and are particularly targeted at women and children as well as areas where hygiene education was identified as priority by Provincial Sanitation Task teams.
- During the 2007 Sanitation Week, a National Health and Hygiene Education Strategy was launched – aligned with the WASH Communication Strategy - providing a framework to ensure that the health and hygiene education programmes reach all communities.
