Woolies Water Fund | Here’s to 50!
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Helping schools in water-scarce provinces, Woolies Water Fund installs its 50th water saving system at Emafini Primary School in the Eastern Cape.
Emafini Primary School in New Brighton, Gqeberha is the 50th school to receive a comprehensive water harvesting system from Woolies Water Fund — giving them sustainable access to fresh, clean water.
The water harvesting system is made up of two x 10 000l water tanks, roof gutters, a filtration system and large pump. That means the water can be used for drinking, sanitation and cooking, and for its communal handwashing station to ensure that learners follow Covid 19 protocols and wash their hands frequently.
Rainwater harvesting from roofs is a highly effective way to improve water security through good management and less load on municipal water supplies. Now, thanks to no water cuts, learners are less likely to be sent home — experiencing unnecessary breaks in their schooling.
“This water harvesting system will rescue the school during times of need and demonstrate to our learners the importance of preserving and saving water for future use”, comments Ms Mgebuza Deputy Principal at Emafini Primary School.
Woolies Water Fund — a partnership between Woolworths and the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fundraising programme — was set up three years ago and has spent over R3 million on improving water security and sanitation in 50 schools across four water-stressed provinces. In celebration of National Water Week, the fund has also allocated an extra R1 million for improving water security to create a better water future for all.
To date, Woolies Water Fund has installed thirty water harvesting and sanitation systems at schools in the Eastern Cape. While efforts have been concentrated on the Eastern Cape — due to the province’s ongoing drought and ongoing water outages — the fund’s vision is all schools to have easy access to life-giving H2O.