| AMBASSADORS FOR OUR CITY |
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The MABALOO Project
Who would think that a walk along the new Durban promenade could lead anyone to fall in love with the city all over again? At some stage we invariably end up visiting one of the public convenience facilities but, “How could this change the way we feel about our city?” you may ask. Noah and Jacqui had the privilege to be part of the DIONYSUS training team who spent two days with the public convenience staff of the Ethekweni Municipality. As part of the Mabaloo initiative they spent the month of the World Cup criss-crossing our city visiting all the toilet facilities in rain, wind and sunshine and this experience has left them both delighted and humbled.
Consider this: One of the first contacts an international visitor has with a new country is often a visit to the loo after they have stepped off the airplane after eighteen to twenty hours in flight. In many cases these flights are an exhausting experience. This is where public convenience staff are our frontline service ambassadors. If things are great no one really takes note, but if the facilities are unhygienic they are first in the line of fire. Just like ambassadors they have to smile and welcome visitors. As ambassadors they are tasked with placating the angry visitor and keeping the image of the city unblemished. They have to often clean up after visitors who may tarnish our reputation by fouling the facilities.
They have to look after the homeless, the vagrants and the drug-addicted individuals who visit the facilities and who are without money, food and or any assistance in a strange city. These municipality staff must deal with the heartbreak of finding abandoned babies in bathrooms, rape victims who have no one to turn to and the homeless mother seeking shelter for her children. The Mabaloo training was designed to retool these ambassadors with vital skills to empower them to deal with such difficult challenges. After many days contact training with ninety eight convenience facility staff, Jacqui, Noah and Programme manager, Kennedy visited all the facilities and assessed staff. “Not only did people who have worked for the municipality for over 30 years, in many cases, blow us away by their dedication, but we were delighted by the history of some of the buildings that have been in use for nearly a hundred years” said Jacqui. When you next visit the Point area, make a turn to visit the Point Clock toilet that has been in use as a public facility since 1914. The beautiful mural and tiled floor is reminiscent of an era long gone. “We are proud to have been involved with such an amazing project and to get an insight into the daily working lives of people who form such an important part of our city.” said Noah. Two months after the training, as we walk on the beachfront, we hear these shouts, “Mabaloo! Mabaloo!” It makes us proud to see the impact this initiative has had on our public convenience attendants.
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