Johannesburg, 26 June 2014 - As part of its annual Winter
Warmer Campaign, O.R. Tambo International Airport today handed over school shoes
to more than 570 deserving learners at Mashemong Primary School in Tembisa. This handover forms part of the airport’s broader Shoe Drive campaign, which
will see 1 000 learners at four different schools in the Ekurhuleni area
receiving school shoes. Mashemong Primary School was selected through a process where O.R. Tambo
International Airport employees nominated schools in the airport’s vicinity to
benefit from this campaign. Most of the learners at Mashemong depend on social
grants, as they come from homes where both parents are unemployed. On behalf of the learners, Mashemong Primary School’s Principal, George
Madzhadzhi, said, “We are so thankful for this gift. Not only will it help to
keep the learners warm, it will surely improve their self-confidence. They can
now attend school feeling warm and comfortable. O.R. Tambo International Airport
has affirmed the statement that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.” Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Manager: Communications and Brand Management at O.R
Tambo International said, “The days of going barefoot to school in the cold will
come to an end for the 1 000 primary school learners. This is a continuation of
our focus to make schooling viable for every child regardless of their
background. Last year we also provided 1000 pairs of school shoes, where 370 of
these were given to the neediest learners from Chivirikani Primary School in
Katlehong.” “As a business that is committed to making a difference in the lives of those
who are vulnerable, support of this nature is one of the ways through which we
strive to improve the lives of disadvantaged learners in schools in the vicinity
of the airport”, Batyashe-Fillis added. The Shoe Drive campaign comes hard on the heels of a successful Fire and
Safety drive, which saw over 800 blankets and hot-water bottles being provided
to residents of Wattville Informal Settlement in Benoni. For more information, please contact:
Unathi Batyashe-Fillis
Manager:
Communications and Brand Management
O.R. Tambo International
Airport
Direct: +27 (0) 11 921 6087
Cell: +27 (0) 79 882 7307
Email: unathi.Batyashe-Fillis@airports.co.za | 