WASH = Water Access Sanitation Hygiene
WASH is the collective term for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. All three areas in WASH support and strengthen one another. If one is missing, the others cannot progress. Clean water, basic toilets and the practice of good hygiene are essential for human survival, and the foundation upon which development begins. Improving access to these basic needs has a positive impact on the growth and development of children and communities.
Boreholes
Ndlovu Care Group has a successful Water Project operating and an org-wide policy of “have water, share water”. This includes 53 strategically positioned boreholes with clean running water. The Ndlovu Care Group is not only responsible for drilling the water hole. The other infrastructure is also made available: the bricked well, the pumps and fittings. In the meantime, the water points are even being converted to solar energy.
Waste collection
Ndlovu Care Group provides waste collection and disposal services in Elandsdoorn, with six dumping sites from which around 6000 kg of waste is removed three times per week. The waste removal component could easily be expanded to include a composting aspect — with the Ndlovu Care Group community vegetable gardens. The results could be used to fertilize the food/community gardens.
Hygiene
Basic hygiene and the principles around basic hygiene are much-needed in a community excluded from basic sanitation, and water supply. Hygiene starts before birth and has a daily element of learning in it. In the Ndlovu ECD centres basis hygiene is one of the major lessons: do not throw papers or plastic on the ground or out of the taxi but in waste bins, Wash your hands before eating a meal. Hygiene lessons for toilet use, etcetera are important lessons which needs to be stamped in from an early age as possible. These lessons are also taken further at the Nutritional Units in the sorts programme. It is part of Daily Life Skills Facilitation.
Green Energy
Ndlovu Care group tries to assist in the CO2 reduction and promotion of green energy. The new Ndlovu Research Centre is a beautiful example as it is completely relying on solar energy reducing the carbon foot print, saving lots of trees in our environment. South Africa is a country that could set an example of solar utilisation but it has not yet taken momentum in that. NGO’s like Ndlovu Care Group can assist in that.
