A recent marketing campaign to promote Sappi’s Typek A4 office paper as an essential back-to-school stationery item brought unexpected joy to the learners and educators at Ashdown Primary School in Pietermaritzburg.
The Typek campaign was flighted on eTV earlier this year, when parents’ time istraditionally consumed by the frantic rush to get their children school-ready.
“Sappi has for many years prioritised literacy and education in its support for localcommunities and is just one of the ways in which Sappi actively supports QualityEducation, one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” says says Beryl Traoré,Social Impact Lead for Sappi Southern Africa. “For us, quality education is not justabout imparting knowledge; it is about empowering individuals to reach their fullpotential and create a brighter future for themselves by giving them thenecessary resources and creating safe spaces that make learning conducive.”
The campaign saw 15 lucky people each receiving a R1,000 shopping voucher.Entrants were also asked to nominate a worthy school to receive generousdonation of 1 tonne (80 boxes) of Sappi Typek paper.
Ashdown Primary School in Edendale was selected as the recipient school byPietermaritzburg resident Candice Piek, one of the voucher winners. Piek hadconsulted Caitlin Hull from Cordwalles Preparatory School for Boys which has had16-year partnership with Ashdown. Over the years, Cordwalles has undertakenseveral initiatives at Ashdown, like purchasing and installing JoJo tanks, servicingand repairing the kitchen, bathrooms and classrooms, and donating a range ofresources like books, sports items and seeds for the kitchen garden.
Ncane Gambu, acting principal at Ashdown Primary School, expressed, “We areextremely thankful to Sappi for donating not only paper, but also the much-needed resources to our school. I can't express how grateful we are to Sappi forthis support!”
As part of Sappi’s employee volunteerism programme – ‘Show Your Heart’ – theSappi Forests team based in Pietermaritzburg shared their expertise with thedonation and planting oof some indigenous Pepperbark (Warburgia) trees at theschool. The eager learners were able to discover the importance of environmentalstewardship and the vital role trees play in the ecosystem.
Sappi also provided comfortable outdoor tables and benches, creating enhancedspaces for the children to enjoy their lunches as part of Ashdown’s feedingscheme. Eating utensils were also supplied.
Watch the Facebook video of the event highlights.
