38 HEALTH AND SANITATION
Sticky Situations receives grant for next phase of WASSUP Diepsloot
Sticky Situations , one of the hosts of the Community Plumbing Challenge ( CPC ) 2016 in Diepsloot , Johannesburg , South Africa , has been awarded a grant of approximately R500 000 to develop the next phase of the Water , Amenities and Sanitation Services Upgrade Programme ( WASSUP ) Diepsloot .
By Mike Flenniken , IAPMO
The South African CPC 2016 team .
Sticky Situations has facilitated the inception , training , and growth of this community-led co-operative in Diepsloot ever since Global Studio initiated the programme , in collaboration with local government officials , in Johannesburg in 2007 .
The Direct Aid Programme ( DAP ) of the Australian government ’ s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in South Africa approved the grant . The DAP supports non-profit organisations working in local communities on activities that support sustainable and equitable development , including education and skills , human rights , disability inclusiveness , and women ’ s social and economic empowerment .
The application outlined plans for a new workshop and training facility on the site of the Diepsloot Housing Authority office in the sprawling neighbourhood of Extension 1 , combined with the renovation of an adjacent public toilet and washroom , as well as repairs and maintenance for 25 of the 643 communal toilet facilities in the surrounding area . These projects will be supported by the ongoing development of formally accredited , on-thejob training opportunities for local apprentice plumbers and other tradespeople , which will increase the WASSUP team ’ s capacity and encourage further collaboration with municipal authorities and industry partners , which can be replicated in other , similar locations .
Australian High Commission representatives Stacy Walker ( first secretary ) and Sarah Dippenaar ( senior research and programme officer ) were welcomed to Diepsloot during the Community Plumbing Challenge event in July 2016 , and presented with a tour of upgrade sites across the township . Following this , the Australian CPC team was invited to meet with the Australian High Commissioner to South Africa , Adam McCarthy , in Pretoria .
Sticky Situations facilitator Jennifer van den Bussche , an Australian who has lived in South Africa for the past decade , is responsible for this latest , successful funding application on behalf of WASSUP . “ Adequate communal sanitation is a constant challenge for our Johannesburg communities and local government ,” she said . “ A great deal of time , energy and effort goes into applying for funding support across public and private sectors , as well as to international bodies for our ongoing endeavours . In this case , I am extremely proud that my home country will now be contributing to this ongoing , holistic programme that looks to improve sanitation conditions as well as work towards professional training for future careers .”
Seán Kearney , an international project manager for IAPMO who helped write the grant , said plans are under way for a CPC 2016 follow-up project , designed to dovetail with the opening of the new WASSUP base and rollout of the DAP-supported sanitation works and plumbing training in Diepsloot .
March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1 www . plumbingafrica . co . za