MANDELA DAY with Impumemelo Day Care Centre
This year, The Bothongo Group and friends came together with the Impumelelo Day Care Centre in celebration of #MandelaDay to make a lasting difference in 267 lives.
In our precedent setting initiative, this year we sought out the Impumelelo Day Care school as our most deserving recipient. These 267 kids joined the Bothongo Group at one of their properties – The Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve – for a once-in-a-lifetime experience on Mandela Day.
In the early morning of the 18th July, 5 coaches arrived at the school with volunteers from The Bothongo Group to pick up 267 children and their teachers. They were transported all the way to Gauteng’s premier nature reserve. We had a host of activities planned on the day for the children, teachers, and volunteers – breakfast packs, lunch, refreshments, face painters, balloon artists, sweet treats, cup-cake decorating, soccer ball gifts, lucky packets and other goodies. For the first time ever, these children and their teachers who tugged at our heart-strings also experienced a game drive, visited Bothongo’s animal ambassador interaction program, witnessed a live snake shows and got to visit the beautiful animals on the reserve. The reserve even has a black panther amongst their rhinos, lions, tigers, monkeys and a host of other unique species.
We could not have pulled off this day without the help of our incredible sponsors, The Baron Group (011 JHB), Good Things Guy, Darren Scott, Mix FM, Wingz of Change, Nature Valley, Doppio Zero (Bedfordview and Bellair).
To end the day, Corlett Modise, Director of the Bothongo Group cut our birthday cake made by Annica’s Designer Patisserie as we all sung happy birthday to Madiba. The Bothongo Group in conjunction with Brent Lindeque from The Good Things Guy donated R20k to IMPUMELELO Day care.
We all had such a wonderful day giving back and seeing all the smiles on the children’s faces. “Singular causes are temporary but humanitarianism is forever,” says Bothongo’s Group Marketing Manager, Asheen Dayal, “we look forward to a lasting relationship with the centre and creating new perennial ones with other life-changing organisations in the years to come.” As the children departed, our melting hearts couldn’t deny that we may still partner with Impumelelo Day Care for future activities.
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The Impumemelo Day Care Centre project started about 10 years ago in Thula Mntwana which is an informal settlement about 50 km from Johannesburg. Here a feeding programme began to feed about 7 children in one corrugated shack and gradually grew to provide 140 children with basic hygiene and education. The children range from 3 months to 6 years and some arrive as early as 6 am and are collected between 15.30 and 16.30. In general their day consists of painting, drawing, basic numeracy, singing songs, story time, traditional teachings, and English.
Funding for this development has been mainly obtained from donations from friends and associates.
If anyone would like to assist the Impumemelo Day Care Centre, please see the details below. Assistance can be in the form of a donation directly to the Non Profit Organisation or participating in the volunteer programme. Please let us know if you need any other information and we will gladly supply you with this.
“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.”
Nelson Mandela
Thank you for your support in spreading the love to build our country.
Bothongo Group (Pty) Ltd
www.bothongogroup.co.za
“Singular causes are temporary but humanitarianism is forever,” says Bothongo’s Group Marketing Manager, Asheen Dayal, “hence we look forward to a lasting relationship with the centre and creating new perennial ones with other life-changing organisations in the years to come.”