Sasol handed over mobile classrooms, stationery and school shoes at Lekwa municipality’s farm schools. (10 Dec 2020)
Secunda, Mpumalanga – Sasol Secunda handed over mobile classrooms, a jungle gym, school stationery and shoes to two Lekwa municipality’s farm schools, Rondavel Combined School and Azalea Combined School as part of the company’ strategic intent to support Early Childhood Development (ECD).
Over the years, Sasol has been building trust-based relationships with its fenceline communities. These relationships enable Sasol to partner with various community structures and organisations to drive interventions that benefit these communities. School infrastructure development remains key in the Mpumalanga Department of Education’s quest to improve overall educational outcomes. This has been the main objective of the Department of Education to ensure that there should be no learner who learns under inhabitable or dangerous structures.
Through our school infrastructure programme, Sasol’s partnership with the Department will reduce overcrowding in classrooms with additional mobile classrooms, improving the environment to be conducive to learning.
The Sasol school infrastructure project has the following objectives:
- To address overcrowding challenges burdening schools due to inadequate infrastructure.
- Create a conducive educational environment for learners and educators.
- Strengthen Sasol’s relationship with the Department of Education.
Sasol, through the Sasol for Good Employee Volunteerism Programme, also donated stationery packs, school shoes, and family mask packs to the learners. Sasol has partnered with Suka Projects and SA Health to revamp the current food gardens at the school premises to provide children with healthy, nourishing food. The school’s football and netball grounds were also refurbished to support learners’ physical activities.
“Early childhood intervention programmes for us are implemented to equip children, at the foundational phase, to be able to perform better throughout their school career. This impact is observed in their behaviour, educational progression as well as attainment and eventually in labour market success, among other domains,” said Rethabile Ndjibu, Social Impact: Sasol Energy Operations.
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This initiative complements the Osizweni, Science Centre, Sasol’s flagship educational initiative in the region, which remains actively involved in the shaping of young minds to become future leaders. By taking a holistic approach to ECD, the Osizweni Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre has also been established. The Osizweni Science Centre provides workshops for ECD practitioners of early childhood development and parents of young children. These practical, interactive sessions demonstrate how everyday activities, materials and toys can be utilised to full advantage to promote the development of numeracy and literacy and other life-long skills.
Cutting the ribbon 
Inside the classroom 
Outside view
The company has also through our partnership with the community and Department of Social Development (DSD) identified a need for Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) to be capacitated in running their organisations. To date more than 86 NPOs in Govan Mbeki Municipality with Early Childhood Development Centres have been capacitated.
Sasol’s strategic intent is to promote ECD, STEM and access to tertiary education by contributing to education development and infrastructure support initiatives tie-up with the Department of Education objective, hence the company support government in addressing challenges which are facing our fenceline communities.
