Persistent water cuts and spiraling associated costs threatening a Lenasia, Johannesburg, primary school’s ability to sustain basic facilities and the nurturing environment its learners deserve are challenges it no longer needs to worry about, thanks to a borehole donation valued at R160 000.
Harmony Primary School, established in 1983, is committed to providing high-quality education and cultivating the minds of its learners, but an increasingly unstable, unreliable, and expensive water source has, in recent times, endangered the school’s ability to deliver its educational services.
However, the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) recently came to the educational institution’s rescue, funding the drilling and installation of a borehole, restoring the pride it takes in fostering an inclusive and inspiring learning environment, preparing its learners for a successful future.
Commenting on its borehole sponsorship, SAMCT representative Mr. Gaff Osman said: “Harmony Primary School, with its more than 1 000 learners, stood on the brink of a potentially dire situation; a situation which put the very foundation of its commitment to education provision at risk.”
“Without reliable potable water, learners and teachers faced very real hygiene-related risks. It is very easy for disease to spread rapidly through a school population, with the added danger of learners then spreading the problem in their home environments.”
“Schools have a duty of healthcare, a responsibility which cannot be taken lightly. The provision of safe drinking water lies at the core of ensuring a healthy school environment. Without it, a school cannot operate effectively, with both teaching and learning compromised.”
He said that Harmony Primary School had ‘a long and proud track-record’ of creating an environment capable of fostering optimal learning and the championing of moral excellence, but had – in recent times – found itself at a critical crossroads in its history, because of the unreliable supply of water it faced and the associated health risks this brought to its doors.
“The school recognized the need to prioritize the provision of clean, potable water for drinking, washing, and the flushing of toilets, but the costs of addressing this challenge were simply beyond the financial means of the school. Accordingly, we of the SAMCT were very pleased to be able to assist by covering the costs associated with drilling and installing a borehole at the school, effectively removing a major barrier to a return to normal effective and efficient lessons for staff and learners alike,” Mr. Osman said.
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 organization provides funding, services, and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived, and disadvantaged. It has been singularly successful in delivering sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa, irrespective of race or religion, and continues to work to support needy organizations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation, and education.
The utilization of borehole water has the added benefit of reducing costs related to the school’s reliance on municipal water. In addition, borehole water is to be piped to taps on the grounds for the free after-hours use of members of the community who utilize the facilities to exercise. The school is also set to resurrect a vegetable garden it previously had in place for the growing of produce, but which had to be abandoned as a consequence of the frequent unavailability of water.
Mr. Osman said: “With a borehole in place and the prospect of free and abundant water, the school’s vegetable garden can be brought back into operation and expanded, contributing towards providing for a degree of food security. The school is also open to providing water to people living in the school’s immediate environs, strengthening the bonds of unity within the Lenasia community.”
“We regard our borehole donation as more than a measure to alleviate the school’s critical water supply challenge, but also an investment in the good health of its learners and surrounding community. Having safe, potable water continuously on tap at the school will have the effect of transforming education here, enabling learners, regardless of their otherwise disadvantaged backgrounds, the opportunity to learn, thrive, and succeed. Water is a scarce and precious resource and borehole water at Harmony Primary School now plays a vital role in the educational journey of its learners, shaping for them a brighter future,” he stressed.
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For more information about the SAMCT or its Harmony Primary School borehole donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za