Frequent learning disruptions, compromised hygiene, and potential health threats due to recurrent Municipal water outages are a thing of the past for a Newlands West, Durban, primary school following the installation of a R256 000 borehole and water storage facility.
Normal educational services have been restored at Parkvale Primary School after a long, losing battle against numerous, repeated water supply interruptions, thanks to the intervention of the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT), which recently stepped in to finance the installation of a borehole and storage tanks.
Established in 1989, Parkvale Primary School serves almost 1,000 learners from impoverished communities where many youngsters lack food, clothing, and stable shelter, resulting in only 30% of learners being able to pay school fees.
SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff Osman, said of the organisation’s borehole and storage intervention: “The uninterrupted supply of potable water to schools is a non-negotiable health and educational imperative. Recurrent water outages pose a significant barrier to the consistent delivery of teaching, severely disrupting the academic calendar and – critically – compromising vital hygiene standards.”
“It is a tragedy that in 21st-century South Africa, so many severely under-resourced and inadequately funded schools are still forced to operate under severe financial strain in the face of the socio-economic realities of so many learners. Learning of Parkvale Primary School’s water supply predicament and the effect this was having on its functionality, the SAMCT was pleased to provide the financial assistance required to transform the school’s infrastructure and safeguard the well-being of its learners,” Mr Osman added.
The school operates a daily feeding scheme, providing porridge in the morning and lunch during breaks, often the only meals its learners receive, further necessitating the need for a continuous potable water supply.
Mr Osman stressed: “With 16 learner toilets and 7 staff toilets, maintaining sanitation is a daily necessity. The absence of water exacerbates health risks, particularly in light of recent outbreaks of communicable diseases in schools. We regard our support as being instrumental in ensuring that the school’s learners receive the uninterrupted education they deserve in a safe and hygienic environment.”
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing, and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds. The organisation provides funding, services, and other resources to improve the lives of the vulnerable, deprived, and disadvantaged. It has successfully delivered sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation, and education. The organisation has long served as a pivotal conduit for the channelling of funding, vital services, and resources to approved public benefit organisations, and remains committed to catalysing positive change and creating a lasting impact on the development and upliftment of, especially, disadvantaged individuals and communities. Its funds are distributed to help improve the health and development of deserving people and organisations, irrespective of race or religion.
Mr Osman said the SAMCT’s partnership with Parkvale Primary School would contribute significantly towards bringing lasting change and a sustainable solution to the educational facility’s water supply challenges.
“This borehole ensures sustainable access to clean water for drinking, sanitation, and hygiene, benefiting both learners and the surrounding community. The new infrastructure will not only benefit the learners and staff, but also serve the surrounding community during municipal water cuts, thus fostering goodwill and communal resilience,” Mr Osman concluded.
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For media queries, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za