Safety and security brand LiveView Technologies (LVT) has partnered with SOSNPO and sanitation provider Amalooloo and come together in Out Of The Blue Programs to develop and build the first “Dignity Square” at a South African government no-fee school. The initiative is dedicated to restoring dignity while improving hygiene, menstrual health, and education. It addresses one of the world’s most pressing challenges: access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
The first Dignity Square has been established in Ivory Park, Johannesburg, marking a pioneering milestone in South Africa. The project has long been the vision of Shelley Humphreys, founder and CEO of SOS NPO. “Working on safe water and dignified access to WASH, especially for young girls, is an often-overlooked issue across Africa,” says Humphreys.“Gender, water, and dignified WASH have finally begun receiving attention, as highlighted in recent WHO/UNICEF reports focusing on inequalities. It’s encouraging to see this growing awareness.”Central to the Dignity Square is the “Dignity Hub,” which provides access to safe, private toilets, solar-heated showers, and systems that support circular economic and recycled water solutions. These units are designed for flexibility and can be installed in areas without existing water or sewer infrastructure.
In addition, the “Dignity Room” offers a safe and supportive environment where girls can rest, recover, and access essential menstrual health products and guidance during their cycles – reinforcing the message: “Periods matter. Period.” The Dignity Square also creates space and opportunity for a laundry service, featuring a hand-operated washing machine and dryer. This service is designed to wash school uniforms, particularly in emergencies where girls may experience breakthrough bleeding onto their clothing.
Dignity Square Rainwater Harvesting and Water Storage – Photo Credit: Rene Frank
Shelley Humphreys explains, “Many girls stay home during their menstruation days, resulting in significant educational loss. If we can encourage girls to attend school during this time, it’s a major step forward for girls’ education.”Beyond supporting learners, the laundry service also operates as a social enterprise within the school. Teachers can make use of affordable washing, drying, and folding services – an invaluable benefit for those with limited time for domestic chores. By bringing their laundry to school, teachers can return home to clean, dry, and neatly folded clothes at a reasonable cost.
The Dignity Square is launched on United Nations World Water Day, which is observed annually on 22nd March. It celebrates water and WASH raising awareness of the 2.1 billion people, living without access to safe water and more than double when it comes to WASH. It promotes taking action to tackle the global water crisis and as a reminder to all, on how we achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Gender-responsive WASH is critical for the 2030 Agenda. Embedding gender equity into policy at all levels will be crucial to achieving water and sanitation for all, which in turn will help advance many other parts of the SDG agenda, particularly poverty reduction, health, education, and work. WASH is critical to eliminating violence against women and girls. Female safety and dignity must be paramount in WASH service design. Plus, rectifying gender imbalances in WASH governance and management, at all levels, will ensure the suitability of services and raise the status of women in society. “LVT has a deep-rooted history of humanitarian work in Africa, from funding sight-restoring surgeries with Daybreak to now enabling the first of 100 Dignity Hub and Squares across Southern Africa,” Says LVT Co-Founder and CEO, Ryan Porter. “We are honoured to serve as the inaugural partner for the Ivory Park project. For us, World Water Day is about more than infrastructure. It’s about the 100 voices of resilience and the millions of lives that will be transformed by gaining access to the basic human rights of water, sanitation, and dignity.”
The Dignity Hub – Waterless Sanitation System, with integrated shower facility, water storage system and rainwater harvesting. Photo credit: Rene Frank – Intellectual Property: Bertram Pty Ltd.
