On Monday, January 16, 2023, students across the country reported for the start of the new academic year. For a large number of them it was their first time attending school, and for others it was their return to school to further their education.
Since its inception, Octotel has always prioritised education as one of the most effective means of transforming the lives of young South Africans. The Western Cape’s leading fibre network brought smiles to a group of disadvantaged students from Langa Township. They were each gifted with a pair of new school shoes through the company’s Walk A Child Back To School initiative, which prioritises learners who do not have suitable shoes for school.
“One of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives for this year is to gift Western Cape children who have never owned a pair of shoes with their first ever pair, and help restore hope, pride and dignity in each of our country’s underprivileged learners,” explains Octotel CSR team lead, Carly Haydricks.
This initiative is designed to provide school shoes to children in the communities where Octotel operates. The criterion for selecting recipients is purely based on social need — teachers are given the responsibility to identify the children at their respective schools, and there are no academic requirements for any learners who wish to receive a pair of school shoes.
“The overall plan for the Walk A Child Back To School initiative is to provide children from various communities with school shoes, and perhaps expand that to other learning materials like stationery, school bags, school uniform, etc. We believe that learners need to be encouraged to continue with school. Shoes should not be another barrier a learner must overcome in order to have a positive schooling experience,” said Haydricks.
The first handover took place at Langa High School — one of the legacy schools in the township of KwaLanga, Cape Town. Thirty three pairs of school shoes were given to students in need. “For Octotel to come here in our township to provide us with these shoes is more about giving our students an opportunity to be at the same level with other students — giving these kids something to strive for," says Linda Mgijima, an educator at Langa High School.
“The happiness on those kids’ faces was all we needed to see to know that we made the right decision in getting involved in this initiative. Kids are always at their most productive when comfortable and content,” Haydricks stated.
The donation of shoes by Octotel has restored hope to the learners at Langa High School. In addition to providing free fibre connectivity to the school, the Western Cape’s leading fibre provider hopes that its contribution will also enable the children to gain confidence as well as feel rewarded and well cared for.