With close to 900 pupils on the register, the staff at Sizani School in Salt Rock have their hands full, juggling finances and making sure everyone gets a meal every day. Former Springbok rugby player Tendai Mtawarira, his wife Kuziva and a few sponsors are doing their best to ‘green things up’ and help out at the school.
It was while she was driving her own children to school that Kuziva saw the hundreds of children walking to Sizani School in Salt Rock and decided to stop and pay them a visit. As a result, she and Tendai and the Mtawarira’s new endeavour, The Beast Foundation, have formed a relationship with the school, working hard towards getting them the help they need.
GREENING UP THE SCHOOL
Following the outbreak of Covid-19, Kuziva (who has a background in psychology) says people are worried about two main things: getting food on the table and staying healthy. Both she and Tendai share a passion for empowering children and when Tendai’s sponsor, Husqvarna South Africa had the idea for a social development project and the school’s needs were identified, the decision was made. Along with other sponsors, The Digital Media Collective, Starke Ayres and Future Life Smart Nutrition, Husqvarna came up with the idea to ‘green’ the school’s outdoor spaces and build a sustainable vegetable garden.
The school has a feeding scheme, which sees every child getting a hot meal at least once day, and the vegetables grown on the land will go a long way to help. The almost R120 000 sponsorship included equipment, training time, a generator and other essentials. Starke Ayres donated the vegetable garden starter kits. The children have also received meals and masks.
HELP STILL NEEDED
Sizani School principal Ntombenhle July, who has been with the school for more than 30 years, says they are incredibly grateful for the support they have received from the Mtawarira’s and the North Coast community as a whole. But there is a long way to go still. Water, she says, is still a massive hurdle for them. “We really struggle to cover the cost of water, especially these days with the children washing their hands more than ever. What we really need is a borehole. If any person or business is able to help us out with this we would be so grateful.”
Details: To assist with helping the school get water, contact The Beast Foundation: www.beastfoundation.org
