Domestos is confronting a silent crisis in South African schools by tackling unsafe sanitation, helping children learn with dignity instead of fear in environments meant to protect them.
Across South Africa, one in three learners avoids using school toilets because facilities are dirty, unsafe or unhygienic. This reality, highlighted through global research supported by Domestos, exposes a daily barrier to learning that is often ignored in education debates but deeply felt by children.
For learners spending most of their day at school, avoiding the toilet is not a minor discomfort. Health professionals warn that chronic toilet avoidance can lead to urinary tract infections, digestive problems and dehydration. Child psychologists add that the emotional toll is equally severe. When children feel unsafe using basic facilities, their attention shifts from learning to survival, eroding confidence and concentration.
Domestos has positioned school sanitation as a dignity issue rather than a maintenance problem. For more than 15 years, the brand has worked to improve hygiene and sanitation in South African schools, recognising that clean toilets are fundamental to health, emotional safety and educational participation.
In 2017, this commitment deepened through a formal partnership with the Department of Basic Education, enabling national programmes such as Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures and the National Schools Hygiene Programme. Collectively, these initiatives have reached more than 10 million learners, addressing sanitation not only through infrastructure upgrades but through behaviour change and capacity building.
Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures has directly impacted over 900,000 learners by improving facilities, providing hygiene resources and investing in the people responsible for maintaining school toilets. By training cleaners and teachers, Domestos addresses the often-overlooked human element required to sustain safe sanitation over time.
The brand’s approach reflects a shared value model, where commercial success is linked to measurable social impact. Through its Back-to-School campaign, every Domestos purchase contributes to improving school sanitation, turning everyday consumer behaviour into collective action for children’s wellbeing.
Domestos has set a clear goal of reaching 10 million more learners with access to clean, safe toilets by 2030. Alongside infrastructure support, the campaign encourages communities to take ownership of sanitation in their local schools, reinforcing that dignity in education is a shared responsibility.
While education discussions frequently focus on technology, curriculum and results, Domestos is drawing attention to a basic truth. A child who is anxious about using the toilet cannot learn effectively. Clean, safe sanitation is not a luxury. It is a prerequisite for health, dignity and equal access to education.
By centring sanitation in the conversation about learning outcomes, Domestos is helping ensure that more children spend their school days focused on growth and potential, not discomfort and fear.
