Volunteer Project Leaves a Living Legacy

Bathabile Primary School is a farm school situated in Olievenhoutsbosch, Centurion. This school that caters for over 1 400 learners received a much needed upgrade on Saturday 5 August. Employees and loved ones from Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) gave their support and time to The Volkswagen Show of Hands Volunteer Programme which is an ongoing initiative under the Volkswagen for Good campaign. The Volkswagen for Good campaign mainly focuses on education and youth development.

Bathabile Primary School is in a very poor community in Centurion that experiences extreme poverty and high levels of unemployment. A large majority of the learners come from migrant families and/or child-headed households. The school caters for learners from Grade R to Grade 7 and has no formal infrastructure – all classrooms are containers.

It was decided to start with upgrading the grade R classroom and play area facilities as well as creating a library, reading corner and planting a vegetable garden. The current classroom containers and play areas for the Grade R’s received repairs and a bright, fresh coat of paint.

The planting of the vegetable garden will allow the school to supplement the food they prepare for the children and allow them to continue to feed the learners nutritious meals. The upgrade of the library and creation of special reading corners will give the learners endless reading pleasure and allow them to continue to grow.

Volkswagen Group South Africa has partnered with two organisations namely, Stop Hunger SA and the Adopt a School Foundation (founded & Chaired by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa) to further assist Bathabile Primary School. Together with Stop Hunger SA, the volunteers assisted with packing and providing meals to the community. The Adopt a School Foundation will assist in extending the improvement beyond the volunteer day. Their support includes Leadership Development and Curricular Development Programmes for the teachers and is aimed at ensuring that the school is run properly and the teachers are equipped with the right skill in order to teach effectively.

“As a company we know that is not only important to upgrade facilities but to also leave a lasting legacy and that is exactly what the VWSA employees and their loved ones did. Leaving the school with a garden to grow vegetables and creating happy reading spaces will allow Bathabile Educators to feed the body and minds of the learners in a vibrant learning space.,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa.