No Child Should Face Unsafe Sanitation at School!

The Star Foundation, in partnership with Breadline Africa, donated R1.6 million to two schools in KwaZulu-Natal. This donation will replace pit toilets with safer, flushable facilities.

Breadline Africa is a South African non-profit that provides essential infrastructure in schools.

A child’s right to safety and education should never be compromised by poor sanitation. Yet, thousands of learners across South Africa still use pit toilets at school. Infrastructural problems in schools not only affect academic performance but also affect the safety and health of both learners and teachers. Every child can achieve something phenomenal in their lives – poor sanitation should not affect that capacity. Unfortunately, many schools across South Africa still rely on pit toilets.

Mbanjwa Primary School, situated in Pietermaritzburg, which serves 712 learners from the community and surrounding areas. Currently, the school relies on unhygienic pit toilets that often fill up during the rainy season, making them unusable until emptied.

We will be providing 20 hygienic low-flush toilets connected to two 6,000L septic tanks, five waterless urinals, and handwash stations with soap dispensers.

The second school is Crystal Springs Primary in Howick, which serves 401 learners. The school has no supply of municipal water and uses boreholes. There are 11 pit toilets, which are in poor condition, with some missing doors.

In partnership with Breadline Africa, we will provide 16 hygienic low-flush toilets connected to a new 6,000L septic tank, five waterless urinals and sufficient handwash stations with soap dispensers, like the setup at Mbanjwa Primary School.

Efforts to eradicate pit toilets have faced delays. Despite the government’s promises to replace all pit latrines in schools by 2023, over 3,300 schools still use them as their sanitation facilities.