Community collaboration fulfills Madiba’s legacy
Through a joint effort, a group of local organisations were able to uplift and empower children from two underprivileged school in Shongweni on Mandela Day.
A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY effort, led by Upper Highway NPO and Zero2Five Trust, saw hundreds of local schoolchildren in the Shongweni Dam area receive nutritious meals, learning materials and a playground as part of a Mandela Day initiative.
Local organisations, Futurelife Health Products, Marriott and Clover sponsored supplies for the day. Representatives then accompanied Zero2Five to Egcekeni and Edamini Primary School, and were greeted by hundreds of happy children.
Zero2Five promotes holistic Early Childhood Development in formerly disadvantaged areas by improving learners’ health and education outcomes with nutrition and education programmes.
“Mandela Day is more than a commemoration of the life and legacy of Madiba, it is an opportunity for all of us to honour his life’s work and make a lasting impact on the day,” said the head of the Zero2Five Trust, Julika Falconer. “Our regular sponsors come together every year and fund extra resources needed to strengthen our programmes for the rest of the year. July marks the beginning of a new financial year for us, so this is always a great kick off with a big bang.”
Futurelife donated Futurelife oat breakfasts and brown bread, with sponsorship of Sunshine D margarine and spread, Clover donated 1 800 cheese slices and Marriott brought breakfast bowls and lunchboxes. Local business, The Juice Kitchen’s Mark and Tamara Ogilby rounded off the healthy lunch by donating a piece of fruit for each learner.
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Egcekeni Primary School will also receive a new playground and both schools will benefit from additional English learning materials.
The generosity continued as Grade 8 learners from St Mary’s DSG arrived early to prepare all 1 800 lunchboxes with delicious sandwiches. There was also an interactive story explaining Mandela Day with singing and dancing to finish on a high note. Local NGO partner Peace Players International entertained with a motivational talk and a fitness programme.
The principal of Egcekeni Primary School, Solomon Mpulo, said, “We were a school for farm workers’ children, based in an area which is poverty stricken. The majority of parents work on farms and some depend on government grants. We lack a lot of resources and any help is highly welcomed. This was a memorable Mandela Day gift for our Grade R learners as they also received a jungle gym.”
Edamini Primary School principal, Mpume Dladla, thanked all involved for their continued support.
“Zero2Five has been at the forefront of ensuring our underprivileged learners get the help they need. As well as providing them with porridge, they donated eight boxes of LEGO educational toys which help our learners with counting and building skills. The language boards and puzzles supplied help in developing the vocabulary and language. As our learners are from poverty-stricken areas, a conducive learning environment gives them an equal opportunity.”
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