A Samsung Smart School will provide students in Alexandra with access to educational materials and connectivity in order to make a lasting difference to children in the area.
Samsung Electronics and its employees moved to make a lasting difference for children in Alexandra Township this Mandela Day, by installing a new Smart School, refurbishing classrooms and greening the surrounding area.
As part of Samsung’s ongoing employee volunteer programme (EVP), more than 60 local staff members rolled up their sleeves to participate in a community cleanup and school refurbishment at the Alexandra Campus, at Central Johannesburg College (CJC), on Friday, 17 July; ahead of Mandela Day on the Saturday.
Samsung also handed over a new Smart School to the CJC, which will benefit 60 grade seven students from Bovet Primary School and Iphutheng Primary School. Samsung Smart Schools enable access to a broad range of educational material and learning systems on mobile devices.
Along with up to 1,000 volunteers from partner organisations and the community, the Samsung team cleaned the area and helped refurbish five wooden classrooms, painted the school fence and collected a pile of broken chairs for recycling.
The event, endorsed and supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the government, and carried out in partnership with the Women @ Work Foundation, aimed to support education by creating a cleaner, conducive environment for learners and by equipping them with digital tools to enhance their education.
Speaking at the event, Mr Pitso Kekaka, Corporate Citizenship Director for Samsung South Africa, noted that Samsung is committed to community engagement, with the goal of positively impacting African lives through its global Hope for Children initiative.
“Samsung Electronics is far more than just a technology company. It is a company committed to finding better ways to do things, and better ways to connect, learn and work. Nelson Mandela famously said that education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world, which is why we are passionate about enabling education and improving people’s lives,” said Kekaka.
“As a company, we are developing solutions that are Built for Africa, with education and healthcare taking centre stage. We are rolling out advanced internet schools in shipping containers to the most isolated parts on the continent. We are also installing digital villages that take mobile health clinics, schools, solar power and internet access to areas that have never before seen electricity or internet connectivity. We support these initiatives because we believe investment in the health and education of our youth is the best investment we can make for the future of this country.”
