Francois Adriaan, Sanlam Head of Sanlam Foundation.
Have you ever met a person who’s going to change the world? Sanlam has met 71 693 of them. Believing that the best way to build a better tomorrow is to start investing in today, the Sanlam Blue Ladder Schools project has empowered 71 693 learners to date. The project aims to help children learn what they learn so that they can be what they want to be today and for generations to come. To support Blue Ladder Schools, Sanlam has launched Shop for Good – an easy way for South Africans to help give schools the essentials they need.
Sanlam partners with disadvantaged schools countrywide to improve maths competency and create supportive learning spaces. Good numeracy is the best protection against unemployment and low wages so Sanlam partners with respected non-profit organisations skilled at building maths proficiency in learners and helping to grow levels of effective maths teaching in educators.
Francois Adriaan, Sanlam Head of Sanlam Foundation, says the Blue Ladder Schools project tries to adopt a more holistic approach to education that puts the wellbeing of the learner first. “In addition to supporting the effective teaching and learning of maths, the projects has invested in the improvement of sanitation and infrastructure to increase attendance and nurture a sense of pride and dignity. It supports the development of leadership at all levels at the school since this makes for a more sustainable intervention. To address the nutrition challenges which exist at these schools, a focus has been developed to support small enterprises in the schools and communities which deal with issues of access and supply of food.”
Many of us take for granted that schools have the essentials our children need to learn, but this is not the reality. So Sanlam is asking South Africans to shop for good to help create supportive learning spaces in Blue Ladder Schools. Shop for Good lets South Africans donate towards the essentials that schools need. People simply browse a catalogue of school supplies - you don’t buy the actual items – and use Snapscan to donate towards a specific category of essentials. Every rand counts. All donations go towards making a difference to Sanlam Blue Ladder Schools. And every school changed will have a lasting, positive effect on our country.
As part of Shop for Good’s launch, South African rugby player Siya Kolisi recently revisited his school in the Eastern Cape, “I went to a humble school but I still had fantastic teachers who believed in me and encouraged me. Now, as a father, I want my children to have the best possible start in life. If we invest in their education today, imagine what more every child in South Africa could achieve, for themselves, this country and for generations to come.”
Mariska Oosthuizen, Sanlam Head of Brand, says that as WealthsmithsTM, Sanlam believes every one counts, “Financial independence comes from educational upliftment. Through maths, we want to empower young people to learn, earn and save; to be self-sufficient and financially responsible adults. By developing vital skills in our children, we put them on the path towards employment and good health. This not only changes the lives of our young people, but it changes the economic outlook of our country. A nation that can’t save will never prosper.”
Sanlam’s theme for its 100th year is ‘for generations to come.’ And the best gift we can give successive generations is an empowering start.
To shop for good online, visit www.shopforgood.co.za
Get the latest issue of FAnews