RECEIVING a Silver Award in the International School Enterprise Challenge was a huge honour for proud Pinetown eco school, Birches Pre-Primary.
Susannah Morcowitz from Teach a Man to Fish made a special visit to present the school with the award.
Teach a Man to Fish runs the School Enterprise Challenge and is doing amazing work in other schools around the world and in South Africa
“The whole school won the award but it was our group of Business Buddies last year who ‘clinched the deal’,” said principal of Birches, Scilla Edmonds.
Most of the business buddies who have moved into Grade 1 at other schools were invited back for this special ceremony to receive their own participation certificates.
“In the past we won the Eco-School Green Business Flag sponsored by ‘The Saville Foundation’, then the South African Country Award and the Africa Region Award. This year there were bronze and silver categories to go for – bronze for first time round and silver for an existing business. We are really delighted to have achieved that. No one has worked for the gold yet,” said the proud principal.
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Birches business is called Sustainably Yours and over the years has sold fresh produce – eggs, vegetables, fruit, herbs, plants , bracelets, hosted schools, given tours and workshops.
Last year, the school consolidated further and stepped up the business to new heights – especially the purchase of Free Range Eggs.
“In addition to our own hens, we also sold eggs from the same flock from Sunshine Farm at a small profit,” Edmonds said.
Children who bought or sold 20 or more boxes of Free Range Eggs earned a free white ‘egg’ bracelet to go with their Business Buddy bracelets.
“In our school the children learn that ‘money does not grow on trees’! They learn to earn their own money and that it takes hard work and if they want to become a Business Buddy they need to earn R10 themselves and be able to tell me how they did that before they can have a bracelet.”
Edmonds added they are already launching into the next business ‘year’ which coincides with European schools.
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