Surprise assembly celebrates the everyday heroes protecting learner health and dignity.
Hundreds of learners and teachers at Gobhela Primary School on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast paused the usual school morning for an unusual reason. Instead of celebrating academic achievement or sporting success, the full school community gathered to honour two people whose work usually happens quietly behind the scenes.
School cleaners Mr Ngcebo Nyawuza and Ms Ntokozo Khumalo were called to the front of the assembly and met with applause from learners and staff. They received certificates of appreciation, personalised messages and thank-you gifts in recognition of the vital role they play in keeping the school’s toilets, staff facilities and shared spaces hygienically clean, safe and ready for daily use. The appreciation assembly was designed to acknowledge the people who are often among the least visible members of a school community, despite making one of its most important contributions.
For Gobhela Primary School, the event was about something simple but meaningful: stopping to say, ‘We see you. We appreciate you. Thank you.’ Clean, cared-for school toilets are essential to learners’ health, dignity and comfort. Research shows that one in three learners avoids using school toilets because of their condition when they are not properly maintained. By keeping these facilities hygienically clean and ready for use, school cleaners help learners feel safer and more comfortable throughout the school day, while supporting an environment in which teaching and learning can continue without unnecessary disruption.
The appreciation moment was enabled through ‘Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures’, Unilever South Africa’s Domestos-led school sanitation initiative, implemented in partnership with the Department of Basic Education. The programme supports schools in creating cleaner, safer toilet environments by upskilling school cleaners and school management teams and providing practical learning materials, sanitation systems, personal protective equipment and maintenance tools.
Since its launch in 2017, ‘Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures’ has trained cleaners and school management teams from more than 2,000 primary schools, positively impacting over one million learners. The programme recognises that effective school sanitation depends not only on products and infrastructure, but also on equipping and supporting the people responsible for maintaining toilet facilities every day.
Gobhela Primary School Principal Mr Lindani Mkhize, who participated in the ‘Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures’ training alongside the school’s cleaners, said the programme deepened the school team’s understanding of the skills, care and attention to detail required to maintain hygienically clean toilets.
“The training helped us understand that maintaining clean school toilets is skilled and important work. It is not simply a routine task; it directly affects whether learners feel safe and comfortable using the facilities. After seeing the commitment Mr Nyawuza and Ms Khumalo bring to this work every day, we wanted our whole school community to recognise them properly,” said Mkhize.
For Mr Nyawuza, the programme provided practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of how hygienically clean toilets support learners’ health, dignity and wellbeing.
“Attending this programme was incredibly powerful for me as a cleaner. It gave me practical knowledge of how to manage hygiene in schools and changed how I approach my work. I now understand that keeping toilets clean is not just about cleaning; it is about protecting the health, dignity and wellbeing of every learner. Being recognised by our school means a great deal because it reminds us that the work we do matters,” he said.
Queen Mgobhozi, Unilever Brands Social Impact and Partnerships Lead, said Domestos’ role was to help the school shine a spotlight on people whose contribution is essential but often overlooked.
“School cleaners are central to creating safer, more hygienic school environments, yet their work is rarely publicly recognised. Through ‘Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures’, we provide practical training, learning materials and support that help cleaners and school management teams maintain cleaner, safer toilet facilities. This assembly was about enabling the Gobhela Primary community to celebrate Mr Nyawuza and Ms Khumalo as valued members of the school,” said Mgobhozi.
The assembly captured a shift from routine to recognition: two people who usually work behind the scenes were brought to the centre of the school community and thanked for the care, consistency and pride they bring to Gobhela Primary every day. Public recognition such as this helps build dignity, a sense of value and belonging among the people whose work supports learner wellbeing and the smooth running of the school.
For Gobhela Primary’s learners, the morning was a reminder that the people who keep school toilets clean and hygienic are not peripheral to the school day, they are central to it. When cleaners are trained, equipped, supported and appreciated, learners are more comfortable using essential facilities, teachers can focus on teaching and parents can have greater confidence that their children are in a safe, cared-for environment.
About Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures:
Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Futures is Unilever South Africa’s flagship school sanitation initiative, led by Domestos in partnership with the Department of Basic Education and Partners in Development. Since 2017, the programme has trained cleaners and school management teams at more than 2,000 primary schools, positively impacting over one million learners through improved sanitation management and hygiene education
About Unilever:
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in more than 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. The company employs approximately 128,000 people globally and generated €60.8 billion in sales in 2024.For more information about Unilever and its brands, visit www.unilever.com.
