This milestone could only be achieved thanks to the support of customers and active MySchool cardholders who participated in the campaign between April 2015 and December 2016. The campaign is part of Woolworths’ and MySchool’s ongoing commitment to improving the quality of education in South African schools.

The ‘Raise R100-million for Education’ campaign was launched in 2015 when Woolworths pledged to accelerate our efforts to raise R100-million for education in South Africa. This was done through MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, a leading fundraising platform which contributes more than R1-million per week to over 7 000 schools, charities, animal welfare, and environmental organisations across South Africa.

Woolworths CEO, Zyda Rylands, describes the achievement as a positive step in ongoing efforts to ensure that every child is given a chance to get a good education.

“I am proud to say thank you to our customers and to South Africa as a whole for rising to this challenge – together we did it.  Every swipe of your MySchool card contributed to helping us meet the needs of schools, charities and communities across the country.” 

“While we are delighted to have reached this milestone, the challenge to improve education in South Africa is an ongoing task and we remain committed to playing our part. We would like to use this opportunity to encourage all our customers to get involved and affect real change by simply signing up for a free MySchool card, or by linking their Woolies card to the MySchool programme today,” says Rylands.

Pieter Twine, MySchool’s general manager, says that over the years the fundraising platform has played a significant part in improving the quality of education in the schools that participate in the programme.

“We work in partnership with schools across South Africa with the aim of improving education at a foundational level. To date, MySchool has funded several thousand educational projects in South Africa – ranging from critical, basic needs in poverty-stricken communities, to more advanced needs such as computer centres, mobile libraries and sporting facilities. The success of the ‘Raise R100-million For Education’ campaign is further evidence of how small efforts by Woolies’ customers are making a big difference in the lives of school children who need it the most,” adds Twine.

Since the beginning of the campaign, the funds raised have helped thousands of scholars through various educational initiatives and structured support, including:

  • Upgrades to classrooms and new toilet facilities at Thohoyandou Primary School in Pretoria;
  • The purchase of over 5 500 Tutudesks for rural schools in the Eastern Cape, so schoolchildren now have something to write and draw on;
  • The development of a sensory botanical garden at Athlone School For The Blind, Cape Town; 
  • The extension of the Bricklaying Workshop at Westridge High School, a technical skills training college in Durban;
  • Vissershok Primary School, a rural farm school that services the Du Noon informal settlement, was able to replace their guttering and down pipes;
  • Hout Bay High School purchased back-to-school stationery packs for all their learners;
  • Laerskool Elarduspark started a feeding scheme with their MySchool funds for learners who come to school without food;
  • The Willows Nursery School used their MySchool funds to subsidise school fees for low-income families; 
  • Gene Louw Primary School funded occupational therapy for learners who cannot afford it; and, 
  • Emisebeni Primary School repaired their kitchen which had burned down, so they able to provide school meals again.

For more information, visit www.myschool.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.