Kiwi Shoe Care has partnered with sports star Lucas Radebe, former Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida, Springbok player Retshegofaditswe Nche as well as Bongane Mohosana aka Morda to raise additional funding for its R3 million School Programme aimed at underprivileged schools.
The funds were raised during an auction held as part of the brand’s Step-Up and Shine launch where the celebrity partners auctioned some of their most loved shoes, worn during some of their most significant and life-changing career and personal moments. The shoes on auction totaled a value of R82 000 while guests which included influencers, celebrities, media, and Kiwi’s corporate stakeholders donated over R100 000 during the auction. Lucas Radebe’s shoes were a hit as he ended up pledging an extra pair due to bidder demand.
The additional funds will go towards the brand’s recycling programme which encourages schools across KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape to collect recyclable tins, with the schools that collect the most tins winning money towards the improvement of their facilities or necessary programmes like feeding schemes. The programme targets 200 schools annually reaching over two hundred thousand children.
Commenting on her partnership with Kiwi former Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida said that “I am incredibly humbled to be part of an initiative that is doing so much for underprivileged children. This is a true full circle moment for me as someone who has always pushed myself to succeed academically and continued to advocate for children’s access to education and support so that they do not only need to survive but to also thrive.”
The auction proceeds will go to the winning school in addition to the current targeted prize amounts. The Kiwi School Programme not only promotes sustainability but also inspires learners to ‘step up’ and feel happy knowing that brands are behind them. The winner announcements are set to be made in March after the audit of the schools that have collected the most is concluded.
Kiwi Senior Brand Manager, Ms. Yvette Modisaotsile said that “the educational landscape in South Africa is challenged due to a lack of funding which makes corporate social investment and stronger stakeholder collaboration crucial to ensure that children continue to gain access to education at adequately resourced schools. It is our brand’s mission to not only inspire children to step up and shine by remaining entrenched in their communities, but it is also our hope to unlock some of these barriers to education attainment by driving access to education.”
Commenting on the choice of celebrity partners for the launch she said that “As a brand that believes that education and empowerment propels people towards success, it was important for us to partner with public figures whose work and values resonate with this and so it was only natural for us to partner with Lucas, Shudu, Ox and Morda. We want to inspire our customers and the greater South African public to step up and shine in every aspect of their lives and we believe that our celebrity partners are the right people to help us achieve that.” She added.
Phase two of the Kiwi Step-Up and Shine campaign will kick off in March with school roadshows when the winner for the Recyclable Tins 2024 will be announced while the overall competition where consumers stand a chance to win their share of R3million toward educational fees ends in March.
