Filter Focus is committed to sustainable education development
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PRESS RELEASE
Filter Focus is committed to sustainable education development
20 August, 2013:Wear control specialist Filter Focus and leading library resource service provider Qualibooks have teamed up with Love Trust charity to provide underprivileged children in Tembisa with a brighter future through education.
Love Trust is a non-profit organisation established in 2009 to serve vulnerable children and their communitiesthrough the provision of independent, quality pre-school education. In January 2010, the charity officially opened up the doors of Nokuphila School in Tembisa to 45 children in Grade 000 and 00. The school now has up to 220 children from Grade 000 up to Grade 2 in 9 classes.
The school is largely run through donations received by sponsors such as Filter Focus and Qualibooks, which donated more than 200 educational and fiction books to the school in August 2013, as part of a joint corporate social responsibility initiative between the two companies.
Filter Focus COO Craig Fitzgerald notes that the company made the decision to support Nokuphila, due to the inspiring work being undertaken at the school. “This is a project that is dear to the hearts of many Filter Focus employees, and we see tremendous value in what it is being achieved there."
Qualibooks spokesman Kingsley Kruger stresses what an importance books can make to the lives of young children. "Staff and volunteers at Nokuphila are serious about the work that they are doing, and giving the children access to books will provide long term benefits to their future."
Love Trust fund raiser, Lindsay Owenpoints out that donations such as this help to ensure that the charity is able to cultivate lasting relationships with the community, by eventually further expandingNokuphile preschool into an independent primary and secondary school in the future.
According to Owen, Nokuphila currently caters for pupils between Grade 000 to Grade 2"We have been blessed with the kindness of our donors, who continue to assist us towards achieving our goal of providing our pupils with a fully-fledged school career that ends in matriculation."
In addition to a sustainable education, Love Trust provides Nokuphila pupils with two nutritional meals and two snacks a day, as well as transport to and from school. According to Owen, the overall costs amount to R1 200 per child per month.
"Of this amount, the child’s parents or caregiver are expected to either pay or work-off R150, while the balance is funded by donations. We find that this an important relationship to have with parents or caregivers, as it gives them a sense of responsibility, dignity and ownership,” she says.
What's more, Love Trust also funds a teacher training centre at Nokuphila, in order to address the challenges associated to lack of skills, training and experience among teachers in the Tembisa community. Owen highlights the fact that this centre became particularly relevant in 2010, when the Gauteng Education Department changed its policy to make Grade R a primary school class.
"Educators need a formal qualification to teach primary school, and this policy change saw a number of Grade R teachers undertaking their duties without the correct training. Since 2011, we’ve grown the teacher training centre from five students, to 125 students. Another major achievement is the fact that the course provided is accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority," she adds.
Owen reveals that the teaching model that has been successfully utilised by Nokuphila School is currently being franchised to various schools around the country, by putting together a simple 'toolbox' of essential educational information.
“Teachers from the various schools receive the curriculum with all the themes, and they are provided with full support and guidance from Love Trust, which is committed to playing a supporting role in assisting surrounding schools in bettering their education system. It is our belief that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and we hope to provide every one of our children with the best education possible,” she concludes.
Love Trust and Nokuphila School always welcome new donations, whether it is in the form of cash, essential items or volunteer work. To find out more about supporting these charitable causes visit www.nokuphila.co.za or www.lovetrust.co.za
Ends
Notes to the Editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visithttp://media.ngage.co.za and click on the Filter Focus link.
About Filter Focus
Filter Focus SA (Pty) Ltd was formed in January 2002 with the aim of establishing the concept of combination filtration and eliminating contamination related wear and failures in heavy industrial equipment.
Filter Focus Contact
Craig FitzGerald
Chief Operations Officer
Phone: (011) 315 9939
Email: cfitz [at] filterfocus [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.filterfocus.co.za
Media Contact
Kelly Farthing
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867-7763
Cell: 079 367 7889
Email: kelly [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za
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