[PRESS OFFICE] “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Inspired by the famous words of uTat’uMadiba, MediaHeads 360 will be partnering with the Educubed Foundation to power up their #LightUp4Literacy Initiative.
A recent study assessing children’s reading comprehension in developed and developing countries, revealed that 78% of South African Grade 4 pupils could not read for basic meaning. This means that close to 80% of South African 10-year-olds are functionally illiterate. As a result, the next generation will enter the workforce without basic comprehension skills.
Since it’s rebrand in February 2019, MediaHeads 360 has been an advocate for education and transformation. The company awarded a number of bursaries to empower up-and-coming media professionals in February 2019. In Women’s Month 2019, MediaHeads 360 uplifted the lives of 5 women in the industry with bursaries.
“Our passion for enriching lives through education stems from our core value of being part of a bigger community. Our team is supportive and excited to be part of this great initiative to support the youth in building a better future,” said Kantha Govender, MediaHeads 360 General Manager.
And so, in the spirit of Mandela Month and their fundamental value for making an impact in the lives of people in their community, MediaHeads 360 joins with Educubed Foundation in support of their #LightUp4Literacy Initiative.
Educubed is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a supportive environment that develops and empowers young South Africans through initiatives focused on education.
#READPower is a partnership with the Educubed Foundation and Asani Energy, to distribute solar lighting systems to households in informal settlements and rural communities. As an integral component of modern society, access to electricity and lighting play a pivotal role in economic prosperity, with a fundamental contributor to economic growth being education.
Together they believe in the importance of fostering a culture of reading and lighting up the community by granting access to energy resources that enable learners to prepare meals, do homework, study for tests and exams, and read.
“Mandela Day is about contributing a real action towards changing the world for the better. MediaHeads 360’s values of making an impact in South Africa through education and the improvement of the lives of youth, marry perfectly with the objectives of Nelson Mandela Day. And we feel that this is exemplified in the impact Educubed Foundation is making in the community and lives of children daily.
“In addition to driving donations, MediaHeads 360 are proud to commit to creating a public service announcement for the initiative. The 30-second recorded commercial will be scripted by our creative team and produced in our in-house production facility. We will also approach our radio partners and facilitate further promotion of the message through their platforms,” Candy Dempers, MediaHeads 360 Managing Director, said.
The Educubed programme primarily supports the development of Lion Park Primary School in the Thabo Mbeki informal settlement. The community is made up of shacks and has approximately 1 400 homes. Educubed has chosen to start with the Grade 4 class which equates to approximately 250 homes for their first phase of implementation. They have thus far secured funding for 60 homes since roll-out in February 2020.
There is still much need for solar panels for the homes in the community, as well as stationery and reading books for the learners. MediaHeads 360 would like to help them achieve their goal by calling on friends, partners, clients, corporates and the public to light up the lives of this community. You can get involved by sponsoring a learner’s stationery pack for only R50 per pack per learner, donating R3 000 per solar panel per home or donating Grade 4 reading books.
Donations can be made directly to Educubed by going to their website, their banking details can be found under Contact Us. Educubed is able to supply companies with a S18A certificate.
