Anglo American's thermal coal business supplies braillers to visually impaired children

The mine provided R65,000 worth of Perkins braillers to Pretoria-based Prinshof School for the Visually Impaired. These braille typewriters are tools utilised in teaching the blind to read and write.

Prinshof principal Lianie Moller notes that the new typewriters will prove invaluable to the educational development of the school's children. "Braillers are key to the world of literacy and learning, ensuring that the wealth of knowledge in books are accessible to blind or visually impaired children. Braille is their medium of education and assessment, and enables them to realise their full potential.

"This wonderful gift from Anglo American is appreciated by our learners, parents and teachers and will assist us greatly in maintaining the high standard of education we offer at our school," said Moller.

Educational development and upliftment

Prinshof provides education for 350 learners from Grade R to Grade 12 and offers boarding facilities, as more than half of its learners are not able to travel daily. A significant number come from sub-Saharan Africa.

Many of the school's previous pupils have achieved substantial success after matriculating, with a number having completed tertiary education, and currently being employed by major companies. Having access to the use of a brailler proved critical in enabling a former student to study IT at university, and subsequently work as a systems analyst.

General manager of Anglo American's Greenside operation, Frank Glaeser, concludes that the company's support of this initiative is founded on its core values. "Anglo American maintains that our impact as a group should not be confined to the outcomes of our daily operations, but extends to the manner in which we uplift the communities surrounding our operations.

"We are therefore proud to have funded braille typewriters for Prinshof, and are confident that this assistance will make a real difference in furthering the educational development of these children, and enable them to flourish in their careers and lives," he said.

For more information, go to www.angloamerican.com.