August 2009
By Muzi Nkosi
For the 2nd consecutive year in a row, Safcor Panalpina joined the Rally to Ready programme on 6 June 2009. Pete and Gail Williams and Muzi Nkosi were part of the convoy that visited three schools in the Free State (Bethlehem/Phuthaditjhaba area).
The Rally to Read provides much needed educational resources to rural schools. It was launched by McCarthy in 1998 and, what was to be a once-off expedition, quickly became a national project. Since inception, over R31 million has been spent on improving the quality of education at 554 remote rural schools. Rally to Read is set apart from other social investment programmes through the active involvement of its sponsors.
Sponsors are part of the process of delivering the books to schools when, during May and June of each year, convoys of off-road vehicles depart from main cities across the country and traverse the rural countryside.
"For companies who are serious about social corporate investment, this project is invaluable," says Muzi. "You are able to get first hand knowledge of the poverty and make a difference. We went to very poor and remote farm schools where, in one of the schools, the teacher is also the principal, the clerk and the messenger. She has about 20 pupils and the nearest town is 50 km away. The last school we visited was in a semirural area with about 1000 pupils, 60% of them either with a single parent or under the care of the community.
"It's heart warming to go to places where, without intervention, people's chances of succeeding in life are minimal. It's easy to drop off a donation or write a cheque and forget about it. Rally to Read is about long term sustainability. At each visit you can see that progress that has been made. We were accompanied by the Department of Education representatives, which is an additional guarantee of assisting these kids to get a good education. The response from the kids and their parents was overwhelming.
"Thanks to Pete for donating his 4 x 4 for this experience as you cannot get to these areas by car and thanks and well done to McCarthy for an excellent programme."