Chris Hani Crossing in partnership with Hope for Africa foundation donated 87 school shoes to disadvantaged learners, in three different schools in Ekurhuleni.
Through the outreach programme dubbed ‘Winter School Shoe Drive,’ there are three schools that were graced with brand new school shoes and those schools are Ndlelenhle primary school=35pairs, Dukathole LSEN school=35pairs, Chivirikani primary school=17pairs.
The Chris Hani marketing manager Lebohang Matlala adamantly said, “Our Company’s culture and ethos are embedded in our commitment to uplift the communities we do business in. This initiative is one in many that gives us an opportunity to engage and assist our communities, so it’s not just an idea, but it’s rather part of our ethical business model and how we relate with our customers.“Our partnership with ‘Hope of Africa’ was derived from the tenacious request made by the foundation to the mall. The request is in line with the types of impactful outputs we seek to achieve when we are doing our community outreach programmes.
“The school shoes donation drive mandate is in relation with what we want to achieve in the community as Chris Hani Crossing, which is to change lives, so that made our partnership with Hope for Africa possible.
“However the drive is an ongoing programme, it will continue throughout the year, our partnership with the foundation comes at a critical time when we are heading to extreme cold conditions.“Therefore we want to ensure pupils are kept warm from the cold and they also get to enjoy going to school with their brand new shoes. We hope we will reach more children in various communities with this withstanding partnership,” Matlala expressed.
Jabulane Thabethe representing Hope for Africa foundation also disclosed, saying, “We have partnered with Chris Hani Crossing for four consecutive years in the school shoe donation drive, and we are doing it with them now because the number of school children walking barefoot in South Africa or Africa as a whole is increasing.
“So we thought it was important for us to take charge by making sure that there will be no child who will be walking to school with torn shoes or without shoes, we are making sure that the learners are not losing hope and they confidently look ahead on their future,” Thabethe outlined.