Thanks to a partnership between Engen and Gift of the Givers, Vlottenburg Primary School has undergone an uplifting upgrade.
The school in Stellenbosch now boasts 17 freshly painted classrooms, a computer room with 40 monitors and a vegetable garden, to help support the school’s feeding scheme and educate learners about biodiversity and the importance of indigenous flora.
As stated in a press statement issued by Engen, the company has committed a further R2 million worth of fuel to Gift of the Givers to help the non-governmental disaster response organisation bring hope and restore dignity to South Africa’s most vulnerable.
This brings Engen’s total fuel contribution to Africa’s largest disaster response organization to R6-million over the past three years (2019-2021).
The official handover of the additional R2 million worth of fuel took place at Vlottenburg Primary School in Stellenbosch on Wednesday November 25, 2021.
“Given the challenging social context in South Africa and extreme hardship experienced by many, Engen is firmly committed to investing in sustainable development initiatives that offer tangible value to under resourced communities,” comments Yusa’ Hassan, Engen’s Managing Director and CEO.
“We see much value in our partnership with Gift of the Givers, as we share a common vision to make a telling difference by serving mankind for the ‘Greater Good’, thus bringing hope to the most vulnerable, in times of need,” he adds.
Gift of the Givers founder and chairman, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman hailed the value of their renewed fuel partnership with Engen as “hugely beneficial.”
“This fuel contribution will help us provide humanitarian relief in the remotest areas of South Africa, including many under-resourced schools in rural areas.”
Furthermore, unemployed farm workers from the local community have been brought on-board to drive the project and upskill learners and teachers about best planting and maintenance practice.
“The long-term goal is to supply overflow fresh vegetables to the local Kayamandi community,” says Dr Sooliman.
Gift of the Givers is committed to creating a positive learning environment for disadvantaged youth, with the organisation focusing on four key areas:
A school’s development and infrastructure programme which focuses on several areas including: replacing pit toilets with flush and pull facilities and proper sanitation, the creation of sports fields, food gardens, greening and boreholes as well as computer rooms.
An audiology programme to prevent hearing loss in children; The Jumpstart Schools Entrepreneurial programme for grassroots learners with business acumen; and a bursary programme for disadvantaged youth.
“Partnerships with like-minded brands such as Engen, enable us to strengthen our ability to make an impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people across South Africa,” adds Dr Sooliman.
