Page 96 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

HEALTH SCIENCES

Improving water, sanitation

and hygiene for healthier

children and communities

“Across South Africa, there are a total of 23 400 Early Childhood Development Centres,
housing over 1 030 000 children. Flushing toilets and piped water are only available in 53% of
them. Eight per cent have no flush toilets or piped water.” – Prof Eric Atmore
1

Assessing water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) practices at the (NTDs), which typically affect the poorest communities and have
Bay’s most under-resourced Early Childhood Development (ECD) not received as much attention as other diseases.
centres and primary schools – and creating awareness strategies
to help improve them – is much more than a research project. It’s In 2016, she ran a workshop with nurses from public clinics and
about improving children’s lives and empowering communities to staff from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to
take control of their own health. create awareness on NTDs and to establish the extent of the cases
being reported in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Prof Paula Melariri, an Associate Professor in Mandela University’s
Department of Environmental Health, has always been interested in “The workshop was really an eye opener,” said Prof Melariri.
public health research, and especially neglected tropical diseases “Workshop delegates indicated various NTDs as experienced

1 Atmore, E. (2013). Early childhood development in South Africa – progress since the end of apartheid. International Journal of Early Years Education, 21(2–3), 152–162.
doi:10.1080/09669760.2013.832941

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