Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat became a member of Pack for a Purpose just over a year ago and nominated Elizabethfontein Primary School as its project. Elizabethfontein is the only school in the rural area in Agter Pakhuis. Its pupils are farm workers’ children, as well as some of our own staff’s children. Our aim is to encourage guest involvement, with the key factor being education.
The response from our guests, both local and international, has been completely overwhelming. ‘Platinum’ return guests from Ireland recently visited the school with their granddaughter and handed over a 3.5kg parcel to the students.
The granddaughter of the guests spent some time with the school children, bringing along a small presentation she made at her school in Ireland to show to the Grade 5 children.
She also demonstrated her country’s traditional Irish Dance. In return, the children performed the local Riel dance!
Through our guests’ generosity, the Elizabethfontein school has received 100kg of Pack for a Purpose school supplies to date, including stationery, educational toys and books, and even sporting equipment. Additionally, a laptop was donated, which the school now uses to show slides, videos, and presentations. It also uses the laptop to store music for the cultural dance activities of the children
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Our staff also visits the school and interacts with the children. It is always a pleasure for our staff to bring the supplies to the school principal and see them distributed to students in the classroom.
It is so moving to see the impact this initiative has had on the school, which adds to the quality of the children’s education. We are very proud to be part of Pack for a Purpose and would like to thank all of our guests who have already participated as well as encourage future guests to support our efforts!
Some of our staff, like Training Manager Gail Tollman, have become very involved with the initiative and work closely with the school. HR Manager Pieter van Dyk shares his experience: “All of us at Bushmans Kloof are so very proud to be part of Pack for a Purpose. It truly is a wonderful – and easy way for our guests to make a difference in our local community. Each and every parcel is received with open arms and heartfelt thanks from the teachers and children, who literally cannot wait to open each package. Every item is important – from a simple pencil right through to the laptop the school received. Some of the items are also presented as prizes at the school’s annual Prize Giving Ceremony. The Pack for a Purpose initiative truly lives up to its slogan – SMALL space, BIG impact.”
Elizabethfontein Primary School Principal Annetjie Dames shares how the Pack for a Purpose initiative has impacted the school: “Elizabethfontein Primary School relies to a large extent on donations and grants, in order to further the education of the children of this disadvantaged community. The majority of parents are not financially able to afford more than the monthly school fees of 80 rands per child (approx. 8 dollars), which leaves most of the pupils without the basic essentials for learning, such as pens, pencils and other forms of stationery. Pack for a Purpose is a wonderful initiative – I must admit that when Bushmans Kloof nominated us as their chosen project we initially did not realize how much the school and the children would benefit. Through the generosity of the Bushmans Kloof guests in 2013, we were able to provide numerous children with much needed stationery and books, and the donation of a laptop enabled the learners to benefit from school projects that would otherwise not be possible.”
Through the efforts of Bushmans Kloof’s guests, we are able to help our learners reach for the stars. Thank you for your support from the bottom of every child’s heart!