The urban population of Africa is expected to more than double between 2020 and 2050, which will put a massive strain on urban infrastructure, including water and sanitation services.
The City of Johannesburg (COJ), considered the "economic hub" of Southern Africa, is a case in point. The COJ has seen increased migration from rural areas and neighbouring countries. This has led to a proliferation of informal settlements, within the city and on its outskirts, mainly due to the unaffordability of housing in formal areas.
This population pressure on South African cities is likely to result in the government failing to meet one of the targets of its National Development Plan 2030 to ensure that all South Africans have access to safe running water at home.
To help address the pressing issue of providing water, sanitation and hygiene to these disadvantaged communities, Humana People to People in South Africa (HPPSA) has partnered with The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) to launch the #WASH Programme in Johannesburg's informal settlements. The #WASH programme will focus on clean water and clean energy by introducing a biogas model in selected areas.
Mathews Tewesa, HPPSA Senior Partnership Manager said, “Recent cases of water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements have shown that women, children, and youth are the most vulnerable groups. Therefore, the primary beneficiaries of this programme will be the youth and the women.”
Tewesa added that HPPSA had conducted a quick assessment of three informal settlements in Zandspruit, Freedom Park and Diepsloot to inform the design of the WASH project. To have a practical impact on disadvantaged communities, a phased implementation was recommended, with two sites identified for this approach and planned for replication of activities in the remaining areas in phase 2.
Phase 1 of the programme was implemented in Zandspruit, on the edge of the Honeydew area in Roodepoort, and in Freedom Park from April 2023, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in these communities. The programme will be rolled out in Diepsloot, Alexander and Tembisa and run until February 2024.
Saadia Madsbjerg, vice president of Global Community Affairs for The Coca-Cola Company and president of The Coca-Cola Foundation said, “We support local changemakers that have a measurable and lasting impact. Our mission is to make a difference in communities worldwide by investing in transformative ideas and institutions that address some of our most pressing challenges, like those that address sustainable access to water, economic empowerment and community growth.”
The primary interventions of phase 1 will be the provision of three solar-powered boreholes, the connection of these boreholes and their extension to a point where the community can easily access water. In addition, there will be rehabilitation and improvement of existing sanitation facilities and extension of water points to the community. Furthermore, the greenhouse construction aims to empower youth and women through capacity building, agricultural skills training, entrepreneurship development, and identifying and linking markets. In addition, constructing a biogas digester will provide cooking gas for the school kitchens.
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The details for the official launch are:
Date: 12 May 2023
Time: 10:30 am
Venue: Emthonjeni Cimmunity centre, Zandspruit
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Its mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where our employees live and work. We support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. Our giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded grants of over $1.5 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit:
https://www.coca-colacompany.com/social-impact/coca-cola-foundation
About HPPSA
Humana People to People in South Africa (HPPSA) is a registered South African non-profit organization founded in 1995 to empower the disadvantaged to lift themselves out of poverty and contribute to developing their own communities. Today, HPPSA employs over 200 people in five provinces (Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape) and reaches over 450,000 people annually.
Contact: Mathews Tewesa/Nondumiso Mntuyedwa
No 22 Cilliers Street
Ontdekkers Road
Wirtipoortjie
Roodepoort
Phone: 011 664 7261
Email:
