Back to school is always an exciting time for children, and this was even more so for the community of the !Xunkhwesa School in Platfontein outside Kimberley after Flamingo Casino donated almost R90,000 worth of school supplies.
The local casino donated R88,485 worth of school shoes, school socks and sanitary products to the learners at !Xunkhwesa School on January 28, days after the start of the 2022 academic year. The bulk of the donation, R69,887, was spent on school shoes for the learners who face searing heat in summer and sub-zero temperatures in winter.
The sanitary products were well received amongst the girls, many of whom do not attend school during their menstruation cycle and miss out on many days of education due to lack of proper sanitary care.
Flamingo Casino General Manager Themba Marasha said: “We understand how exciting back to the school is for learners, and we wanted to make it extra special for the learners at !Xunkhwesa who lie very close to our hearts.“
“The community from which these learners come are not able to supply every schooling essential and we feel privileged to be in a position to assist to make the start of the 2022 school year memorable for the children.”
The principal of !Xunkhwesa, Mrs M Newman, thanked Flamingo and said: “This donation has gladdened so many young hearts and we are so grateful for this.“
The !Xunkhwesa name is a combination of the !Xun and Khwe groups of South Africa. The school is home to approximately 1,600 learners from Grade R-12 who are drawn from the poverty-stricken Platfontein community where unemployment runs at around 90% and most families survive on some form of government social grant assistance. Social ills such as crime, alcohol and drug abuse and teenage pregnancies are rife.
“We truly hope that this donation will positively impact young lives in some way and that together, as the broader community, we can come together and help create a better future,” Marasha concluded.
!Xunkhwesa School relies heavily on NGO and corporate donations and welcomes any support offered to help the learners.
