At Anglo American, we know that education is, and always will be, one of South Africa’s most precious resources. To show our commitment to education, at this year’s Mining Indaba we did things differently by creating an exhibition stand that could be refurbished to serve a new purpose.
We used a container as the basis of the stand, so that when the event was over it could easily be transformed into a library and study centre for Lovedale Primary School in Kroonstad. The container will be filled with textbooks, computers and learning materials for bright young minds to spark their interest in maths, science and language.
This space has been created to inspire our youth to learn the skills they need to grow into South Africa’s future leaders. Laying the groundwork for a more sustainable South Africa through education.
“We believe it is important to use every opportunity to give back to our communities. Through repurposing our exhibition stand we hope to not only make a difference through education, but also to inspire others to find creative and innovative solutions to some of the challenges our communities face. It is important for us to show that it is not only large investments that can make a difference,” said Mooketsi Mocumi, Marketing Communication Manager at Anglo American in South Africa.
The school has a total of 290 learners from Grade R to Grade 7 and currently does not have a library or literacy centre, which means the learners are not exposed to a wide variety of reading material that will help them with their studies and improve their knowledge.
Lovedale Primary School Principal, Mohapeloa Mantoa Asia Cecilia says, “We would like to say a big thank you to Anglo American for making it possible for the Lovedale Primary School to have a library. The learners at our school will benefit by enriching their vocabulary and reading skills. The school is situated in a rural community which is without such a resource and will enable learners and educators to conduct research faster and without the need to travel for literature and information. The library will also be open to the community.”
We hope this new centre will inspire the youth of the school to read more and to use the donated resources to better their education.