Gift of the Givers spends R40m on school upgrades after KZN floods

Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said it has so far spent R40 million on infrastructure upgrades of schools since the deadly KwaZulu-Natal floods in April last year.

The province was battered by the heavy downpours which left a trail of destruction and over 400 people dead.

Several buildings, schools and infrastructure were damaged while a mosque collapsed in Morningside, Durban, during the floods.

Flood damages

Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman told The Citizen the NGO has been kept busy repairing damage caused by the floods.

“The KZN April floods upgrades has been ongoing with our teams repairing floors, roofs, ceilings, windows, doors, toilets, classrooms, entire buildings, stormwater drains, boundary walls, electrical and water networks.

“Many schools were in a bad state of repair, unrelated to the floods, but due to failure of maintenance over the years,” Sooliman said.

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School handover

On Tuesday, Gift of the Givers also held a handover ceremony at the Port Natal School in Umbilo.

“This is a very unique intervention where the principal and management agreed to convert the 90-year-old purely Afrikaans medium school into a dual medium institution following Gift of the Givers’ upgrade of the facility. The construction team had to follow KwaZulu-Natal Amafa Institute guidelines as the school is a heritage site.”

The organisation also handed over Tyburn Primary School in Chatsworth and Mason Lincoln Special School in Umlazi on Monday, and Insizwakazi Primary School in Pinetown, on Tuesday.

Modern facilities

Sooliman said there is a need for adequate learning institutions.

“Our children certainly require upgraded and modernised facilities to match the commitment, compassion and care of highly dedicated teachers who are both parents and educators to children who come from backgrounds with a myriad of social issues.

“Upgraded schools are a symbol of hope that encourage positive mindset in learners, educators and parents, serving as a motivation for substantially improved outcomes. Funding for upgrades nationally will certainly be welcomed,” Sooliman added.

Upgrade programme

Sooliman said Gift of the Givers’ infrastructure upgrade programme includes the drilling of boreholes, distribution of school furniture, uniforms, stationery, providing counselling services and bulk feeding.

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