The taxi industry is joining other social and development organisations to improve education in schools.
This was announced by the SA Taxi Finance Group at the recent launch of the SA Taxi Foundation. The foundation’s director, Kalnisha Singh said the foundation would administer a R1-million budget to support education programmes in schools, as education was the basis for sustainable national economic development.
She said this was in line with the foundation’s commitment to responsible corporate citizenship by assisting the 200 000 members of the taxi industry as small businesses and its 400 000 employees.
Singh said the foundation had already started its work through a distribution of 1 500 desk bags to children at Zenzeleni Primary School. The desk bags are portable bags which convert into desks for use anywhere. The school was identified as a beneficiary by taxi owners from the area who are clients of the finance group.
Singh added that the next project would be a partnership with the South African Primary Education Support Initiative involving school libraries. The foundation chose this project after realising that only 1 900 of 24 000 public primary schools have functioning libraries.
“The libraries will be imported secondhand purpose-built buses capable of carrying 6 000 books to all 96 school districts in the country by 2016,” she said.
The foundation would also support another project which involved the safe transport of children. This after research revealed that 45 percent of deaths of children under 15 were due to pedestrian accidents. The project will be in partnership with Educate Africa and will provide interactive road safety presentations to schools.
Details: 0861 TAXI 4U (829 4418).
