What we do · 03
Health and hygiene
A toilet only protects health when people use it, keep it clean and wash their hands afterwards.
Area of work 03
Health, hygiene and community awareness
In deep rural South Africa, some of the youngest children we work with had no safe way to wash their hands at school. In 2026, together with Singakwenza, an early childhood education organisation that mentors rural preschools, our South African team delivered 17 hand-washing stations to Early Childhood Development sites. Children there can now wash with clean water and soap.
- Partner
- Singakwenza
- Year
- 2026
- Delivered
- 17 hand-washing stations to Early Childhood Development sites
- Settings
- Schools and crèches in deep rural South Africa
The work
Habits that outlast the project
Why habits matter
A toilet only protects health when people use it, keep it clean and wash their hands afterwards. That is why most of our work in South Africa is concentrated in schools and crèches, where children form habits and carry them home to their families.
Ownership, not supervision
We also try to make sure hygiene outlasts the project team. In our school programme, a committee takes ownership of the toilet block. At Cliffdale Primary School, the composting toilets are still reported to be clean and well maintained, with no plumbing problems since they were built. Our sanitation clubs in Nepal, Bhutan and South Africa follow the same idea: children, not outsiders, lead the hygiene message among their classmates.
Speaking up as well as building
We speak up as well as build. Our South African team publishes commentary on school sanitation safety, water losses and the link between sewage and climate, because better facilities depend on better policy.
Health improves when water, toilets and habits arrive together.
Children form habits at school and carry them home to their families.
A committee takes ownership of the toilet block, and the children lead the hygiene message among their classmates.
Next: capacity building
Gallery
Out in the community
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Schoolchildren on a Children's Day outing
Call to action
Meaningful change begins with partnership.
We invite our visitors to learn about our work, join our mission, and contribute in any way they can. Together, we can build resilient communities and transform lives.