The ‘H for Handwashing’ campaign conducted by the Department of Basic Education, Unilever – a multinational corporation selling consumer goods including foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products – and publishers was launched in October 2020.

The Publishing Association of South Africa (PASA) decided to support the campaign because it is linked to the broad strategic objectives of assisting the DBE to implement its mandate of delivering education to South African learners. Further, the campaign addresses the vital aspect of hand hygiene which has been recommended by health experts to stop the spread of Covid-19.

In support of this campaign, Macmillan Education South Africa donated a total of 694 550 Foundation Phase Life Skills books to provincial education departments in 5 provinces – Gauteng, Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape – to be distributed to primary schools in their provinces.

Personal hygiene is an integral part of the CAPS curriculum for the Foundation Phase. The books that we donated are CAPS-approved and are relevant as both core and resource material, and will address the hygiene component of the Covid-19 guidelines.