Marsh Africa shares Mandela’s vision for education by donating DeskBags
LEEUWKOP - In celebration of Nelson Mandela Day, DeskBags and Marsh Africa, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management, contributed towards education by handing out DeskBags to the pupils of Sefikeng Primary School in Leeuwkop Prison on 29 July.
The DeskBag’s outer cover is hard and allows pupils to write on it, they can put the cover on their laps or on a hard surface, the bag also has section dividers where they can put their books and pencils in.
The organisation handed over 590 DeskBags to underprivileged children, with the support of a few Golden Lions Rugby Union team players who attended the event.
The exciting programme for the day began with the team inspiring an interest in rugby.
According to the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, there are as many as 3.1 million schoolchildren in South Africa who do not have the privilege of working at a desk. Many of these children do not have formal classrooms and are forced to either kneel on the ground or work on makeshift desks during their school day.
Shannon Roscher, co-founder of DeskBags said, “We strive to make a real and remarkable difference by donating DeskBags for free to as many unprivileged schools and communities as possible. We realised that the problem is too big for us to tackle on our own, hence we partnered with Marsh Africa to alleviate the education struggles of tomorrow’s leaders.”
Marsh Africa approached DeskBags, the company that made the bags and are donating them to schools around South Africa.
Marsh Africa’s programme partners with a variety of adopted schools across South Africa, where they provide support such as youth leadership and activation, teachers’ support and resilience, parental involvement, career guidance and building cohesion throughout the schools and their communities.
“The DeskBags that are handed out today are innovative and are a viable alternative solution to the shortage of desks, which are made from recycled vinyl billboard materials. The DeskBags not only provide a portable solution, but also have a dual function as eco-friendly school bags,” CEO of Marsh Africa, Jurie Erwee said.
Mr South Africa 2014/2015, Armand du Plessis, was also present at the handover to help bring awareness of the importance of education and for pupils to stay in school. After the Deskbags were handed out, Marsh Africa hosted a party for the pupils with boerewors rolls, crisps and cold drinks.
Details: www.africa.marsh.com; www.deskbags.co.za
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