Power their Potential
BIC® Powers the Potential of 7.3 million children through
their ‘Buy a pen, Donate a pen’ programme
Monday, 11 December
2017. This week marks the
end of the 2017 school year with millions of children looking forward to five
weeks of fun and relaxation until the 2018 Back to School season comes around
in January. Amongst the happy youngsters will be the recipients of BIC®’s
Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen programme, which adequately equips millions of young
children with the relevant Stationery tools to fulfil their basic educational
needs.
It is a reality
for many parents that Back to School is a difficult time as they struggle to
afford Stationery. BIC® has heeded the call and, since 2011, has supplied
7.3 million South African underprivileged children with the relevant Stationery
thereby #Powering their Potential and taking the anxiety away
from parents and allowing kids to focus on their
education and the year ahead.
BIC® has announced that the
campaign will be back during the 2018 Back to School period. BIC® Marketing
Manager (Stationery) - South East and Central Africa (SECA), Ronette Kishun
says the campaign will be a primary focus in 2018, in line with their
commitment to advocate for education opportunities and allowing children to
apply their energy to their dreams for the future.
“Education
should be the number one priority for those who want to help build a better
South Africa, and our Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen programme will inspire kids who
would otherwise have started their 2018 school year without Stationery,” she
says. “BIC® will allow them to #Power their Potential by giving
them the right tools to be able to achieve their dreams.”
Kishun explained
that by buying any one of the twenty specially marked BIC® packs carrying the
Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen sticker, South Africans will be giving underprivileged
children the tools needed for learning.
The pens are distributed to
disadvantaged schools across the country through the READ Foundation every
year, and Lizelle Langford, PR and Fundraising Manager at the READ Foundation,
says the project has made a difference in the lives of many primary and high
school learners.
“A pen or pencil is something a lot
of people don’t even have to think about,” said Langford. “But for some
youngster’s Stationery is an obstacle to their education because they simply
can’t afford it. Putting the right instruments in a child’s hand can make a
significant difference to their future.”
Langford explains: “Through this
initiative children no longer have to share a pencil stub or pens, which is
time consuming for teachers who have to wait for each child to get a turn with
the pen or pencil. We are extremely grateful to BIC® for this
opportunity.”
Each year over
500 schools in the townships and rural areas are provided with BIC® pens with
the majority going to primary schools.
Kishun
urges South Africans to join BIC®’s Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen programme and
create magic for children by choosing to change a child’s future over the
upcoming Back to School year. Specially marked packs are available at all
major retailers nationally.
