Adopt-a-School Foundation hosted its 11th Back to School for Mandela Day initiative on 18th July at Tsakani Primary School in Krugersdorp. The day is commemorated annually in honour of Nelson Mandela’s legacy, encouraging active citizenship and corporate volunteerism. This year, Adopt-a-School Foundation championed another school shoe campaign that collected 400 pairs of school shoes alongside a range of Whole School Development activities. Additionally, the Foundation was delighted to host two other Back to School for Mandela Day activations at Nageng Primary School in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, funded by Siqalo Foods and Fukama Primary School in Vanderbyjlpark, funded by African Bank.
The Back to School for Mandela Day initiative is a flagship event that encourages corporates and their employees to visit an identified school to make a personal impact on the lives of young learners and their learning environment. It is inspired by the notion that anyone can make a difference by donating their time, skills, and resources.
The day was a great success, with over 110 volunteers from corporate partners and supporters. Five corporate partners donated towards school shoes for learners in need across adopted schools and renovations at Tsakani Primary School. The corporate partners include Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, BP South Africa, Phoenix Contact, Royal Haskoning DHV and Merafe Resources. The campaign also received great sponsorships from A2Z Technologies, who donated a digital board for the ICT laboratory, Cashbuild supplied some utensils to renovate the Grade R play area, ChairClub donated school chairs, Premier Optical screened all the learners and will be donating 19 spectacles for learners in need. Additionally, we also received donations from Broadway Sweets, Future Life, Jumbo Brands and Krispy Kreme which went towards learner’s snack packs.
