• School sanitation needs more than rhetoric

South Africa’s school infrastructure still poses the largest threat to the safety and development of its children. In developed areas, the provision of classrooms, electricity, water and sanitation facilities have been made but nearly the opposite has happened in underprivileged areas. Taking into account the huge school infrastructure backlogs in the majority of schools built by the apartheid government, as well as limited public funds during the post-apartheid years, improving school infrastructure quality and levels proves to be a daunting task.

According to Section27, a public-interest law centre that uses and develops the law to promote and advance human rights, students and teachers suffer the most atrocious conditions with the provided sanitation facilities and the rights of children are infringed on a daily basis.

Upon acknowledging the need for safe and hygienic sanitation in all schools, the National Department of Basic Education spent R600-million for the provision of emergency water and sanitation infrastructure.

Read more: https://issuu.com/glen.t/docs/wasa_jan_2022

• Impact investments that keep under-served communities relevant

Thanks to the vision of Deborah Terhune, founder of Growing UpAfrica, the development of the Devland SOWETO Education Campus went from concept to completion over a period of seven years and is set to make a lasting difference.

Growing UpAfrica is a non-profit organisation with a mission to build resilient education structures and related infrastructure for a future of ecological, social, and economic sustainability.

The Devland SOWETO Education Campus is located on a site that was home to a former industrial park, and the region is currently undergoing transformation. “Devland SOWETO is a place where the innovation of 4IR is needed and a place where it will happen,” says Terhune.

Growing Up Africa’s development model is based on designing state-of-the-art projects and infrastructure with minimal direct cash funding. The world class design of its projectsserves as an incentive for companies and corporations to become involved by contributing professional expertise, materials, transport, and time.

“People want to be part of a successful project that has a tangible and positive impact on the community, and we led the way. This type of development does not happen overnight. We did not wait for funding.  We started with the idea,” Terhune explains.

Read more: https://issuu.com/glen.t/docs/imiesa_march_2022/s/15321257

• Amplifying Mpumalanga’s journey towards a green economy

The Mpumalanga Green Economy Development Plan aims to change the province’s economy from relying on coal-based energy to one boasting biomass-based energy, sustainable agriculture, tourism and eco-conscious towns by 2030.

The Mpumalanga province is one of the primary homes of South Africa´s fossil fuel energy economy. The region faces a multitude of socio-economic and environmental challenges arising from resource-intensive economic activities. The region also currently suffers from high levels of unemployment, inequality and poverty as pressure mounts to transition away from a coal-based economy.

Working together with GreenCape and the international development finance community, the cluster will focus on unlocking economic opportunities in the green economy, making a contribution to regional economic diversification and job creation efforts. NCPC-SA’s resources, strategy and innovation manager, Lee-Hendor Ruiters says the cluster will be a vehicle through which circular economy initiatives and projects are established and realised. Read more: https://issuu.com/glen.t/docs/resource_february_2022/s/14922938