18 Feb Back-to-school Backpack initiative

New Age Engineering Solutions kicked off the year 2022 with its annual Backpack initiative to support schools and learning centres in Secunda. The company donated educational learning toys to 50 children from Mmabana Day Care Centre in Extension 9, eMbalenhle. 

The toys included puzzles, pegboards, paint, and bean bags. The Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre is a registered NPO and has been operating for three decades.

“New Age received a letter from Mmabana’s staff and committee requesting a donation of toys,” said New Age Engineering Solutions Director of Business Development, Suzan Zinyana.  “We jumped at the opportunity to donate the toys because we believe that young minds should be nurtured from a young age,” added Suzan.

Mmabana Day Care’s Chairperson, Hellen Rasedile who received the toys, thanked the New Age team and stated the importance of ECD centres, which she says prepares children for formal schooling by developing their listening and literacy skills.
“It is very important to keep our ECD centres running daily and on behalf of our centre, we would like to thank New Age; the items that you have donated, are exactly what we need to develop the children,” said Rasedile. 

New Age also donateed stationery supplies to Allan Makhunga Primary School in Extension 9, eMbalenhle. The primary school houses 85% of learners who reside in nearby informal settlements and whose parents do not afford to pay school fees as they are either unemployed or surviving on a minimum wage. The backpack initiative 
provided 40 learners with stationery that includes scientific calculators and Atlases to relive their parents’ from worrying about start of school term stationery expenses. 
 
As part of uplifting communities in which the company trades in, Suzan says education is a top priority at the company.  “We will do all we can to assist our community in providing resources that will ensure that their children learn well and that they are not deprived of quality education due to the lack of stationery. New Age’s purpose is to serve, solve and uplift; so we will continue to live up to these values to uplift the community,” said Suzan.