Sasol donates school uniform kits to deserving Tzaneen and Tembisa learners
As part of its continued drive to support the communities in which it has Retail Convenience Centres (RCCs), Sasol Energy Business recently partnered with three of its franchisees, Sasol Tzaneen, Sasol Andrew Mapheto and Sasol Tembisa, to hand over school shoes to over 800 children from an orphanage and 10 schools in the Greater Tzaneen and school uniforms to over 100 children from six primary schools in Tembisa.
This project is funded under the umbrella of Sasol’s Friendly Neighbour social impact programme with retailers and, in this instance, addresses needs identified in child-headed households and families who cannot afford school uniforms due to unemployment. Beneficiaries who received school shoes in Tzaneen include Noah’s Ark orphanage, Gavaza Primary School and Semana Primary School, Bessie Maake High School, Maake Primary School, Maaroboni Primary School, Phangasasa High School, Makgotlo Pramary School, Nelson Ramodike High School, Rita Primary School and Sepeke Primary School.
Tembisa recipients include learners from Emmangweni, Nyiko, Isiziba, Phuthumani, Khatlamping and Moduopo Primary Schools.These selected learners received a kitbag containing shoes, a jersey, socks, a tracksuit set, pants and shirts for the boys and tunics for the girls, as well a school bag each.
Prior to the donation, the Sasol Energy Business and its Tembisa franchisees engaged the Ekurhuleni Department of Social Development to identify generally underserved households and child-headed households in Tembisa who needed support in the form of school uniforms.
Ekurhuleni Divisional Head: Social Development, Lucky Tsekeli, commended the programme and added: “poor socioeconomic backgrounds greatly impact learners and interventions like this help reduce barriers to learning for these learners.”
According to Gaopaleloe Mothoagae, Vice President Corporate Social Investment & Sasol Foundation, many families are affected by unemployment. “The beginning of the academic year posed yet another challenge for these families who had to secure school uniforms, which Sasol has now provided to bring some relief and to serve as encouragement for young and talented learners”, said Gaopaleloe.
“As franchisees, we are delighted that, through the Friendly Neighbour Initiative, we are able to partner with Sasol to be a force for good in our fenceline communities”, says David Pooe, franchisee at Sasol’s Andrew Maphetho RCC. “The initiative is about co-creating socio-economic activities within a specified radius of a Sasol RCC, focusing on community development programmes such as health, environment and work skills development”, Pooe added.
Sasol’s Friendly Neighbour Concept is a social impact initiative designed to uplift fenceline communities around Sasol’s RCCs in collaboration with franchise owners. Sasol reviews franchisee proposals to uplift their communities and matches the franchisee proposal or co-created concept on approval.
Click here to read more Sasol Friendly Neighbour initiatives.
