|
Matjiesfontein - a little goes a long way
Matjiesfontein is a little village in the Karoo that straddles the main railway line from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Population: 300. Primary schools: 1. The percentage of the population that can afford school fees: 20%. Spescom, knew it had to help.
The single small Primary School in Matjiesfontein houses 54 children in two classrooms and doubles up as the village community centre. One classroom accommodates grades 1 to 3, with the second room given over to grades 4 to 6. When the children are ready for grade 7, they attend a school at Touws River, which is approximately 50kms away.
The school was experiencing difficulties with the annual running costs. When Spescom was made aware of this, the company decided to help.
Spescom Chief Technical Officer, Viv Crone, elaborates. “We decided to take a trip to the village and discuss the matter with the school headmaster, Mr. Reynier van der Westhuizen and determine by what means we could best make a difference.
“The school is well equipped with the fundamentals, like desks, and even has a computer room. However, they lack the funds to maintain the equipment and provide continued access to the wealth of information available via the Internet.”
A little goes a very long way
Crone says the school’s running expenses – between R1600 and R2000 a month – formed the crux of the problem.One of the main difficulties for the school is that while the Department of Education pays the teachers salaries, the parents remain responsible for the running costs. Only 20% of the village population can afford to pay the school fee of R110 per child per year, however.
“Spescom thus decided to fund the school, covering its utility bills, and computer maintenance etc.This input not only provides peace of mind to the parents but also puts the school on a sound financial footing on which they can build.”
The community plans to expand the school to incorporate a pre-primary care facility. Moreover, money brought in from fund raising activities will be freed up to generate capital to fund the upgrading of facilities, like the building of a netball court.
The scheme went live on the 1st May, 2006 and continues today.
“This is just one example of how business can expend a small sum of money and make an enormous difference,” says Crone. “Spescom’s social responsibility ethos is one of involvement. We will continue to work with this community by augmenting the financial input with advice and knowledge in any area where we can add value to this project.
“We see this as an investment in the future, in the knowledge that potential greatness is everywhere but must be given the means to enable it to flourish,” he concludes.
Spescom additionally assists the school through fund raising activities to finance the upgrading of facilities.
|
