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The global icon Nelson Mandela once said: “It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education. Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.”

The CityKidz Pre & Primary School in Johannesburg’s Central Business District (CBD) is a facility that would have made Tata Madiba proud.

Established in 2008 as a social initiative by Afhco Holdings, the CityKidz Pre & Primary School’s main mission was to address the poor state of education in the area and more specifically educational facilities for inner-city children. Many inner-city schools are located in derelict buildings, in environments which are not suited for learning.

Now in its 11th year, the school has garnered tremendous success and growth. To celebrate the school’s successes over the past 11 years as well as do their part for Mandela Day, on Thursday, July 18th, 2019, SA Corporate Real Estate Limited (SA Corp), along with a number of generous sponsors joined forces to host a day of fun and magic for the staff, educators and most importantly the pupils of this CBD-based school.

The school received the following sponsorships to the value of R135 300:

25 bales of toilet paper to the value of R3 300 sponsored by Freedom Group Premium toilet paper and supplies.

A pledge from Quatro Integrated Services to provide the sponsorship of two bursaries for two pupils to the total value of R37 000

Capmore Stationers sponsored R5000 worth of stationery to the school.

Thompsons Security CCTV Surveillance cameras to the value of R40 000.

SA Corporate total contribution to the value of R50 000

Andre Williams from SA Corporate Real Estate Limited (SA Corp) said he was taken aback by Afhco Holdings’ commitment towards education. “We, at SA Corporate, are proud to be associated with Afhco’s CityKidz project and will ensure that this will be an ongoing relationship. We are truly inspired by the impact this institution has had on the lives of these children. Many of these kids come from trying backgrounds and they find sanctity among the walls of this school. It was very easy for us to select CityKidz for our Mandela Day initiative and we pulled in partners who we felt could further enhance our efforts on this project,” he said.

“I would like to thank Broll Property Group for facilitating this event and the generosity of Freedom Group, Quatro Integrated Services, Capmore Stationers and Thompsons Security for coming on board to make this day an even greater success”, added Williams.

The school, located in Mooi Street in Johannesburg’s CBD, was acquired by Afhco Holdings to make a difference in the form of education. Through its social responsibility projects, which are directed at the upliftment of residents and workers of the inner city, Afhco and SA Corp decided to raise the standard of education of young children, by providing a high standard of education in a pleasant and open environment. The school was given a new lease on life and set up to provide education which focused on Mathematics, Science and Computer Studies.

The school is situated on approximately 1 acre of ground, which, in addition to 26 classrooms, offices, a computer room, sick room and hall, provides more than 3000m² of open playground area. This allows space for outdoor activities, climbing and play equipment, as well as parking for teachers and visitors. The school accommodates about 750 pupils and is open to the general public. Sharon Reynolds, the current principal of CityKidz, said the school has recently built a new administration block which has been completed but furniture and fittings are still needed. “To date the school has been refurbished through a number of donations from many different organizations and individuals-for which we are immensely grateful. On behalf of the staff, educators and most importantly the students, I would like to thank all the kind sponsors for their commitment towards our humble school. We are truly humbled by all the donations which will further enhance our efforts to provide world-class education to these wonderful children,” she said.

International Mandela Day has enjoyed 10 years of global support and solidarity since it was launched in 2009. This year the Nelson Mandela Foundation has launched a new Mandela Day strategy, titled: Mandela Day: The Next Chapter, to mark the tenth anniversary of the initiative. In these next 10 years, the movement aims to mobilise people, governments, civil society and corporates to focus on these five areas: education and literacy, food and nutrition, shelter, sanitation and active citizenship.

CityKidz Pre & Primary School welcomes all donations and sponsorships and those who wish to assist in any way may visit the website: http://www.citykidz.co.za/

For more information on Mandela Day, please visit: https://www.mandeladay.com/

Issued on behalf of SA Corporate by Next Level Productions South Africa.