Back to School for Mandela Day

This Mandela Day, Adopt-a-School Foundation (AAS) is running a collective campaign throughout July and August. The campaign encourages corporates and individuals to unite and support learners affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. To kick off the initiative, a social media video featuring Dr Tshepo Motsepe and celebrities who support the work of the foundation was published on Mandela Day and more activities will follow till the end of August.

Covid-19 has caused serious disruption to the school year, impeding the delivery of learning and teaching. Adopt-a-School Foundation aims to ensure that no learner is left behind during this difficult time. It has developed a campaign aimed at supporting learners with both comorbidities and learners where schools have closed. Many of the schools (over 600 schools) supported by the Adopt-a-School Foundation, are in communities hardest hit by the pandemic. Challenges of connectivity, infrastructure, access to resources and data have impacted the ability of our learners to engage with online teaching and learning platforms.

This campaign is aligned to the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s focus areas for International Mandela Day, and the National Development Plan Goal 1, which highlights the importance of the provision of quality education for all children. This campaign promotes the urgent need for collective action, from both individuals and corporate to ensure that our learners are able to regain their school year.

The foundation has developed ICT support packs for learners. These packs include curriculum-loaded tablets, Covid-19 PPE, stationery and clothing to keep learners engaged and warm at home as they tackle their curricular. Our foundation-phase packs include the same, with colouring-in books and early childhood development activities.

“We have been proud of the tremendous strides of Whole School Development, which aims at addressing school leadership, infrastructure, curriculum and social welfare. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge in many of our communities and the foundation has created a holistic solution aimed at addressing this challenge. We are thus calling upon all South Africans, corporates and individuals to partner with us and support learners with ICT packs. We need to provide learners with all the resources they need to learn effectively at home. We are calling on you to support as many learners as you can to ensure learners go back to school while staying safe at home.” Adopt-a-School Foundation, CEO, Steven Lebere.

Additionally, in response to a growing call for volunteer participation and involvement in Mandela Day, which takes place on 18 July, the foundation has developed a toolkit for individuals and companies who are interested in hosting virtual fundraising campaigns to support this initiative.

To learn more or to take part in the Back to School for Mandela Day, visit www.adoptaschool.org.za/get-involved/backtoschoolforMandeladay/.