The Adopt-a-School Foundation, a programme of the Shanduka Group, today (18 July 2012) announced the adoption of its first school in Mozambique.
The adoption of the school, the Escola Primaria Completa in Ressano Garcia, was announced during the inauguration of an interim gas-fired power plant that will supply electricity to Eskom, the South African power utility, and Electricidade de Moçambique, the Mozambican power utility. The plant is a joint venture between Aggreko, a UK-based interim power solutions specialist, and Shanduka Group, a South African investment holding company.
The adoption of Escola Primaria Completa is an integral part of efforts to ensure the local community realises sustained benefits from the power project. The school is located 4 km from the power station. The other five primary schools in the area are subsidiaries of this school and will therefore benefit from the assistance provided. The school has over 1,400 learners.
The Adopt-a-School programme already operates in over 140 schools in South Africa and three in Lesotho. Around 172,000 children have benefitted from these initiatives this year alone.
The programme was established in 2002 to support the creation and enhancement of an environment conducive to learning and teaching in rural and disadvantaged schools.
Through corporate partners and sponsors support, over 225 facilities have been built, including libraries, kitchens, administration centres, sports fields, ablutions, science and computer laboratories, and Grade R facilities.
Over 320 stakeholders and educators have been trained in different fields including counselling, leadership and governance, computer skills, science, maths and accounting, library management, language and literacy skills.
To encourage whole school development, the programme has extended its work to include the establishment of environmental clubs, the provision of eye sight and hearing tests, and the provision of spectacles, uniforms for learners in need, scientific calculators, and soccer and netball kits. Over 350 small community businesses have benefited financially and nearly 3,500 temporary jobs have been created in the school communities as a result of our projects.
The adoption of Escola Primaria Completa is a significant development, which will see the highly successful Adopt-a-School model used in a new and different educational environment.
