Italtile and Ceramic Foundation Trust report

Having completed the renovation of the boys’ residence which accommodates 84 boys, the Foundation assisted the school with further maintenance work in both the girls’ and boys’ residences. In addition, the Foundation recently assisted the school with funding for much needed sporting equipment, including sports kits, tennis rackets, basketball wheelchair repairs and swimming pool repairs.

While the school is in the process of obtaining consent use for the recently completed foundation-phase building that was constructed by the Foundation together with other donors, we have further assisted the school with funds to erect a play area for the 232 learners.

Forte High is ranked as the leading township school in Gauteng, with an outstanding pass rate of 98% (an increase from the 96% achieved in 2019); this includes 164 distinctions achieved and 80% of the candidates receiving a Bachelor’s pass. These are record-breaking statistics for the school which, in 2008, when OSAAT first began their partnership with them, recorded a 52% pass rate and only 18% Bachelor’s passes.

In recognition of the students’ stellar performance and to further enable them to achieve and unlock their potential, the Foundation assisted the school in purchasing Maths, Accounting and Science matric study guides.

• Project Top Class – rewarding the top performing matric class with an outing of their choice to encourage dedication and teamwork;
• academic achievement awards to top students, top teachers and support staff of the school; and
• motivational speakers and presentations.

The Foundation recently introduced the Dignity Drive in communities around Ceramic Industries’ factories, aimed at improving ablution facilities in local schools.

In the 2021 financial year, two primary schools were selected, and renovations were completed in mid-April 2021. Materials required for the project were sourced from within the Group, including tiles and sanitaryware from Ceramic Industries, taps from ITD, and adhesives from Ezee Tile. In total, 12 blocks of toilets were renovated.

The absence of a solid early childhood development (ECD) foundation is a significant contributor to poor language and Maths results in Grade 3, poor reading and comprehension in Grade 4, and many other challenges. PEN is an organisation focused on ECD through interventions aimed at addressing that need. PEN strives to reduce the problem of poor quality ECD centres by offering owners and caregivers holistic support and a realistic collaborative partnership to improve their ECD centres and thus implement changes that will continue to deliver the desired outcomes after the necessary interventions. Key areas identified for improvement include facilities, health and safety, administration and education and learning.

Unfortunately, during the hard lockdown in 2020, PEN’s activities were put on hold. In addition, educators did not receive an income, as parents were unable to pay the crèche fees. The Foundation, through PEN, assisted the teachers with food parcels during that difficult time.

The Kagiso PEN programme started in April 2019 with only two crèches in the forum. The current number of creches in the forum is seven, with the aim of reaching 10 by December 2021. It is pleasing to report that with the easing of severe lockdown restrictions, since October 2020, attendance at the crèches has slowly picked up.

In recognition of its achievements, the Foundation renovated the best-performing PEN crèche in 2021. Renovations included repainting, re-tiling of classrooms, installations of new cupboards, installation of new toilets, re-fencing, roof waterproofing and purchase of a new jungle gym.

READ has been conducting a homework support programme at Setlabotjha Primary School in Sebokeng since 2013. In 2020, a teacher support programme was introduced to supplement the homework support programme, with the aim of improving literacy in primary schools. The programme has subsequently been expanded to three additional schools. The thrust of this project is to provide literacy development training to school leavers who are employed as homework assistants. They are trained to provide afternoon lessons and homework support to Intermediate Phase learners who have difficulties with their schoolwork. The homework assistants receive support from READ and the School Management Team, and work closely with the class teachers.

The TRAC programme for schools in Kagiso was launched in December 2020. Five high schools were selected for the programme. The TRAC operations in these schools consist of three pillars: academic intervention, tertiary applications, and bursary (funding) applications (B&T programme).

In terms of the first component, academic intervention, the TRAC offers a Mathematics intervention programme, whereby the TRAC Learning Facilitator visits each school once a week, offering interactive Mathematics classes to Grade 11s and Grade 12s. Physical Science will be incorporated in the academic intervention in the 2022academic year.

The second and third pillars (the bursary and tertiary applications) programme, commonly referred to as B&T, are driven simultaneously as they are linked. In these pillars, TRAC assists scholars to apply for bursaries to study further after matric.

The FBF’s band activities provide young people with a constructive recreational outlet, while teaching them important life skills. FBF continues to work with Setlabotjha Primary School. In addition, they have recently added Tshirela group in Sharpeville to the programme. Weekly Life Skills lessons are facilitated by FBF staff addressing hygiene, Covid-19, social inclusion, respect, human rights, bullying, gender inequality, boundaries, emotions, honesty, alcohol and drug use, self-belief and their future in safe and open dialogues.

The Foundation funded the purchase of a prefab classroom for the Soweto Sports field, a sports facility which the Group constructed and maintains. A teacher has been appointed to assist primary school children from the community with homework after school hours. Subjects taught are Maths and English, as well as Life Skills.

• purchase of new jungle gym equipment for Buang Daycare in Soweto;
• purchase of matric study guides for three high schools in Kagiso and Vereeniging;
• purchase of Little Optimist books for crèches;
• once-off bursary settlement in partnership with the David Makhura Foundation; and
• donation towards Early Care Foundation.

Sports fields

The Foundation continues to support the Group in maintaining the sports fields in Meadowlands in Soweto, Thohoyandou in Limpopo and Acornhoek in Mpumalanga.

Construction of the Steelpark Sports Field is currently underway.

Dreamfields continues to provide soccer and netball training to schools in Mpumalanga (40 schools), Thohoyandou (16 schools), Hammanskraal (eight schools), Vereeniging (10 schools) and Kagiso (eight schools).

The need for a similar programme in Soweto was recognised, as there were no soccer clinics in the area. Dreamfields has since established leagues in eight Soweto schools thus far.

During lockdown, Dreamfields engaged with coaches/ teachers and learners via online platforms to provide online coaching and engagement, netball and football manuals and DreamLeague analysis.

They also engaged with the Department of Basic Education to assist them in developing a strategy for safer play within the constraints of the Covid-19 threat.

Fun in Action Hockey is SA Hockey’s growth strategy to provide an opportunity to have fun, and to learn the fundamental movement skills through modified games during physical education lessons and after school programmes. The Fun in Action Hockey programme is embedded in the foundation and intermediate phase physical education curriculum.

The Foundation partnered with Fun in Action in 2018 with 24 schools and it has since expanded activities to 63 schools in KZN, the Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

The Foundation funded the erection of combi-courts at two local schools in Kagiso with which TRAC is partnered. The combi-courts are designed to be used for netball, basketball and volleyball, and the goal is to promote sports development in high schools. The principals of the recipient schools warmly welcomed this initiative.

Students from schools that are sponsored by the Foundation (Forte High School, Salvazione Christian School, Mahareng Secondary School and Setlabotjha Primary School) are sent to the LWS annually for one week to learn about the importance of the environment, how to take care of it and preserve it.

Unfortunately, the visits scheduled for 2020 to date were postponed due to lockdown restrictions.

LWS is currently constructing a new school building and the Foundation has contributed to its funding as well as supplied material from within the Group for this project.

The Foundation has partnered with Birdlife South Africa to support the facilitation and development of community-conservation projects via the Empowering People Programme in Mpumalanga and KZN.

The programme aims to upskill community bird guides, train environmental monitors and invest in community educational projects.

South African Wildlife College (“SAWC”)

The Foundation recently partnered with the South African Wildlife College to train unemployed entry level students in responsible resource use (a five-day programme) as well as field ranger training (a six-week programme). Four of the students from the responsible resource use training have been placed on an internship with the college for six months following their training. This training will enable the students to enter the conservation guiding sector.

• Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (“WESSA”) Environment Day;
• Arbour Day;
• Stellenbosch Shark Research; and
• Hout Bay Seal Rescue.

Across our country, significant financial hardship has been suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over and above our formal budgeted activities outlined in this report, the Foundation donated R143 000 to relief interventions, including the following:

Subsequent to the Group’s financial year-end and following the public unrest in July 2021, the Foundation donated R1 million to Gift of the Givers to fund the purchase of food parcels for various communities impacted by the riots and looting.

Despite the enormous challenges faced this year, our partners have all continued to strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of disadvantaged South Africans. I would like to thank them for their collaboration and commitment.

Thoko Phakathi
Project Manager
Italtile and Ceramic Foundation Trust