Kliptown Covid-19
Residents’ initiative to combat the spread of Covid-19 in their community
Read our 5 October 2021 article in the International Centre for Climate Change and Development’s (ICCCD) Voices from the Frontline: Solidarity Kliptown Style - A story of freedom amidst covid lockdowns
Watch our September 2020 documentary film: Solidarity? Revealing the Everyday Lived Reality of Covid-19 in Kliptown, Soweto
Read our 3 June 2020 Op-Ed in the Daily Maverick: “Kliptown Superheroes Take Up Fight Against Covid-19 in Service of the People”
Be a part of Ubuntu: community, compassion, humanity.
Collaborate.
Why do we use the term collaborate? Because it embraces the spirit of Ubuntu: ‘there is a need for understanding not vengeance, ubuntu not victimization’. Collaborating with this initiative you become part of the team of Kliptown residents and 1955 who are working heroically to support their community for short term action against Covid-19 and long-term dignity.
100% of your contribution goes directly to the Kliptown community.
Meet the people and place, be a part of this global community effort. The project will be run by the existing resident owned, Kliptown based non profit corporation 1955. Follow us on Instagram and in our blog.
Our pilot project.
It’s been up and running since March 2020.
Everyone on the 1955 crew has used their own resources to test this initiative and get it up and running. Each of us has given in ways we can. We’ve had invaluable advice from health professionals and amazing support from local businesses. Now we want to scale it up before South Africa’s national lockdown begins to lift.
We have sourced 13 compressor sprayers, one for each of the shack communities within Kliptown. We have bought bulk bleach and liquid hand soap from Blendwell Chemicals in Joburg.
It’s a simple, effective strategy. We are distributing soap and spraying the communal toilets and the truck that comes three times a week to empty them. We use a bleach/water solution.
We have an essential service permit from CIPC for the extended lockdown period.
photos courtesy of Nkwanyana and Kornienko, 2020
As residents of Kliptown, we are not waiting to become victims of Covid-19, we are fighting the spread of the virus through these simple, effective steps:
1. Toilets: disinfecting doors, door handles, interiors of toilet stalls and toilet seats with a 250ml/20L bleach/water solution (WHO, CDC) and compressor sprayers.
2. Hand washing: supporting vulnerable individuals and washing stations with hand soap.
3. Dignified personal hygiene: provision of adequate toilet paper.
4. Public health messaging: Covid-19 information, updates, hand washing and vaccine (posters, stencilling, wall art, facebook).
Key equipment and supplies already in use in our pilot project:
13 commercial compressor sprayers
5% Bleach
hand soap
photos courtesy of Nkwanyana, 2020
Where we started: a shared toilet is a high risk space during the Covid -19 outbreak.
In Kliptown, on average seven households use a single chemical toilet. These toilets are emptied twice a week. Health experts now know that the Covid-19 virus can be spread by cough/sneeze airborne droplets, touching contaminated surfaces, and in feces. The Covid-19 virus remains infectious on metal for about 50 hours and on plastic for about 70 hours (Tedder, April 2020).
These science based facts make the poorly ventilated and crowded toilets high risk sites for virus transmission.
photo courtesy of Nkwanyana, 2020
Collaborate:
6L Compressor Sprayer: R1550, C$120
12L Compressor Sprayer: R1795, C$140
5% Bleach 25L: R280, C$22
Nitrile gloves: R40, C$3
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“Hand washing and keeping common surfaces clean and disinfected are critical efforts to prevent coronavirus infections. This becomes even more urgent in dense communities where consistent physical distancing isn’t possible”.
Carlyn Collins, M.D., M.P.H. from our 1955 team
1955 initiated a collaboration between medical experts, community leadership and our heroic crew on the ground. We input the latest scientific research and health updates and information on Covid-19.
Focusing on the most vulnerable members of the community, we are supporting over 180 people with soap and toilet tissue. We are currently working with community leaders to set up public hand washing stations in key locations.
The grannies have embraced our efforts, many are setting up hand washing stations to keep the virus out of their homes.
photo courtesy of Nkwanyana, 2020
Collaborate:
Toilet tissue (48 rolls): R100, C$8
Liquid hand soap 25L: R850, C$65
Bar soap (144 bars): R530, C$40
Kliptown residents helping fellow residents.
Our 1955 crew delivers much needed supplies. We mix the bleach solution and spray toilets. We train others to spray and to develop health-safe work habits. We share critical health information and updates on Covide-19. W
We have recently acquired an infrared thermometer and ask key, basic health questions to access those we assist and our own crew.
We applaud the programs put in place by the President Ramaphosa and the national government. When possible we are facilitating access to the Gauteng provincial government food parcel project and the SASSA Social Relief of Distress Grant. The government food parcel project and application for the grant require a phone or email, many in Kliptown don’t have these resources. However our primary focus remains on sanitation and hand washing.
photo courtesy of Nkwanyan, 2020
Collaborate:
Bimonthly stipend: R1,500, C$115
Airtime: R200, C$18
We have recently acquired an infrared thermometer and ask key, basic health questions to access those we assist and our own crew.
photo courtesy of Mahlamvu, 2020
Designing and making PPEs:
We collaborate with local businesses.
Nhlanhla, from Kliptown’s Sasi Upholstery and Design, is using his skills to design and sew personal protective equipment (PPEs) for our front line crew. He has now begun designing and sewing face shields and face masks for the community.
We are sourced the plastic bottles for the face shields and for decanting the liquid hand soap from local recyclers who have no income during the Covid-19 lockdown.
photos courtesy of Nkwanyana, 2020
The bottles are upcycled, we buy from the grannie collecting, clean and fill with hand soap, and finally distributed to community members.
photos courtesy of Nkwanyana, 2020 and Kornienko, 2018
Use and share 1955’s design to make a plastic face shield from a 2L bottle and a cap.
A face shield is a tool to slow the spread of Covid-19. It helps reduce the chance of you becoming infected. It stops us from touching our own face or face mask and blocks large airborne droplets. It can be worn with or without a face mask.
A face mask prevents you from spreading the virus to others, it does not protect you from infection.
REMEMBER with Covid-19 you don’t have to have symptoms to spread the virus.
Find the latest CDC guidelines for making a Covid-19 non-medical face mask.
Read the latest WHO guidelines for use and care of a Covid-19 face mask.