SOME people take the ability to walk into a shop and buy stationery for granted. For other people, however, the purchasing and owning of small items such as crayons, pencils, scissors, glue and even a ruler is a luxury that they cannot afford.
This is where the group of altruists from the Durban North NPO, Community UPlift, is hoping to bridge the gap.
Through the Pencil Box Project, the group aims to collect both new and pre-loved stationery for pre-schools in the Quarry Heights community.
“The project was born under the banner of our Share the Love campaign. With the start of the new year, we decided to focus a project on pre-schools, as with past projects we have targeted the elderly, babies as well as high school children,” said Community UPlift co-founder, Jackie Gaines.
According to Gaines, they saw a need for stationery at a pre-school level, as many schools from disadvantaged communities did not have the funds to attain these items.
“Stationery plays an important role in children’s education, particularly in terms of developing their motor neuron and cognitive skills,” she said.
The local NPO has appealed for donations of crayons, paper, paint, scissors, glue, pencils, kokis, craft paper, old magazines, wrapping paper, clay, paint brushes and any other stationery products suitable for young children. Second-hand clothing for pre-school children are also welcome.
Donations can be dropped off at The Durban North Baptist Church and the @Tap Community and Centre and Coffee Corner. The cut-off date is Friday, 18 March.
Community UPlift was initiated as the Jingle Bell Project last year with the aim of assisting those in need during the festive season.
Since then its projects have grown, which motivated the founders to rebrand the organisation.
Contact Jackie or Mark on 084 823 9517 or via e-mail on info@communityuplift.co.za.
