More than 100 Eastern Cape women have been taught to recycle faeces, and are already turning poo to profit in 14 franchises in the province.
They are also protecting children, beautifying schools, making electricity and helping save the environment.
The skills training came from Impilo Yabantu Services (IYS) as part of a programme to boost social entrepreneurship. IYS is an implementing agent and subsidiary of Amanz’abantu, funded by the Water Research Commission and African Development Bank.
Speaking at the Women in Water and Social Entrepreneurship Summit under the broad theme of “From Research Science to Impact” at the Cambridge township resource centre next to Unathi Senior Secondary School, water affairs deputy minister Pamela Tshwete said the work being done by the women was phenomenal.
Unathi SSS is one of 302 schools in which the project has been piloted.
“The women go to schools collecting faeces, which is often piling up at rural schools and can be very hazardous. They collect it using “honeysucker” trucks, purify it, and turn it into biochar fertiliser and electricity,” Tshwete explained.
She said that in their drive to promote women in business, the franchising companies were also a tool to raise awareness in communities to use water sparingly.
“Our biggest problem is people wasting water. When you tell them to use it wisely and sparingly they tell you that water is a natural resource, a gift from God, but when there's no water they don’t talk about God, they ask my office where is the water and what are we doing about the shortage. So there is still a lot of water education for us to do.”
Tshwete said not only were the women recycling faeces but they were also rehabilitating toilets by painting and doing necessary repairs...