According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, more than 21-million South Africans do not have a regular supply of clean water. Clean water is vital in the fight against COVID-19 making access to clean water more urgent than ever.
Magali Malherbe, Managing Director of MAMAS Alliance says: “Clean water is absolutely critical especially now during this pandemic; from washing hands to sanitising surfaces and also keeping hydrated. Lack of access in South Africa’s rural communities compounds the struggle for the most vulnerable. Big business can assist through strategic CSI partnerships.”
At the end of 2019, the MAMAS Alliance CSI team connected Atlas Copco to one of its NGOs, Children of the Dawn where a borehole was successfully installed in the rural community of Mathabatha in the Limpopo province.. Over the last few years, municipal water started to dry up at the pipes and would be available only for a day or two, then nothing. As a result, Children of the Dawn had to buy water which was brought by truck, stored at the organisation’s care centre in steel drums, and changed every few days. This was neither sustainable nor safe. It also prevented the organisation from continuing with their gardening activities.
Children of the Dawn National Programme Manager, Nabila Noor Mohamed says: “Our organisation supports over 100 orphaned and vulnerable children as well as their family members in this community so it was a huge relief for us when the borehole was finally installed. MTH Drilling was the first to hit water after a few unsuccessful attempts by other companies. The impact of just this single borehole is the difference between life and death for so many people. We are so grateful to our sponsor. Without funding from the big corporates, it would be exceptionally difficult to make it happen.”
The MAMAS Alliance is a network of 33 independent and autonomous grassroots organisations which currently operate from 75 sites across South Africa, reaching over 60 000 children. The Alliance works in remote rural, semi-urban and urban areas across the country, providing structural and practical daily care to the most vulnerable and needy children. The CSI team assists with connecting the right corporate to the right project for the most impact.
