Access to clean water vital for SA's children

AS WORLD Hand Hygiene Day sheds light on the desperate need for clean water in South African early childhood development (ECD) centres, advocates emphasise the importance of addressing this pressing public health crisis, which has severe implications for the nation' children.

- STAFF REPORTER

Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project, has raised concerns that SA may be jeopardising the life-saving potential of handwashing unless immediate action is taken to ensure that clean and safe water is available in early learning environments.

“Children constantly touch surfaces and objects, picking up germs as they go,’ Zelezniak articulates.

It is explained that despite an ambitious government pledge of R210 million aimed at upgrading these centres over the next two years, significant gaps in infrastructure continue to put children’s health and development at risk.