Engen KlevaKidz continues to grow

The initiative was launched six years ago, and by the end of 2013 had reached more than 80,000 learners in close to 250 schools, located in areas where the household use of paraffin is widespread and paraffin-related accidents are common. "Over the next two years the campaign is set to reach 90,000 learners aged 8 to 13 years in 300 schools," says Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, Engen's General Manager: Corporate Affairs.

This year's KlevaKidz campaign kicked off at Mankurwane, Kimberley in the Northern Cape on 12 May, followed by, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, and will end off in the Eastern Cape on 29 August 2014.

Targeting youth

As the name suggests, the KlevaKidz campaign delivers an empowering message through edutainment about safe handling and storage of paraffin, and what to do in an emergency. It is aimed at children aged between 8 and 13 years old.

"Over the years of involvement we have become aware that children of this age are often the primary daytime caregivers of their younger brothers and sisters. It is with this in mind that we target them with the message of safety," says Sulaiman-Bray.

Drama pays dividends

The KlevaKidz production is an interactive educational stage drama that raises awareness of the dangers associated with handling and storing paraffin and how to prevent accidents from taking place. The production uses a television quiz show environment as a vehicle for relaying the message, which is combined with a jingle. "We have found edutainment to be a powerful medium to stimulate children's imagination. What is even more rewarding is to hear children of four years old still singing the paraffin safety jingle afterwards," says Sulaiman-Bray.

Research commissioned by Engen in 2011, which benchmarked the before and after of the first KlevaKidz campaign, illustrated that awareness improved from 24% to 90% and changed the behaviour of more than 80% of participants.