Netcare and partners empower young learners with eco-friendly school shoes
From healthcare waste to hope on the ground – discover how simple solutions are tackling big challenges in education.
Netcare and Adock Ingram Critical Care, along with local organisations, recently gifted 700 learners with school shoes at Maloney Eye Primary Farm School in Magaliesburg.
According to Netcare’s communication officer Megan Saville, donors, dignitaries, and healthcare partners gathered at the school recently to honour the impact of a programme delivering high-quality school shoes, each pair carrying an unexpected story. The outreach is part of the My Walk Made With Soul initiative, which has donated over 300 000 school shoes since the programme launched.
“Children are now better prepared for school thanks to the generosity of individual and corporate donors who have provided them with shoes through this award-winning initiative since the programme’s inception in 2020.”
Netcare’s director of human resources Dr Nceba Ndzwayiba, added that at the heart of this effort is an innovative upcycling programme led by Adcock Ingram’s Critical Care Manufacturing Facility.
“The facility produces drip bags and tubing from high-quality polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and off-cuts alongside uncontaminated PVC waste from participating Netcare hospitals in Gauteng and KZN are collected and recycled. This non-hazardous medical waste is then transformed into fully recyclable school shoes, supporting both environmental sustainability and social good,” said Ndzwayiba.
“Every Maloney Eye learner holds the potential to become a leader, an educator, a healthcare hero, or to shape a better future in countless ways if they have the foundational support, to build a more inclusive economy for the next generation, the private and public sectors must work together to develop more sustainable pathways that support young people on their journey to employment, but to truly succeed, we need to nurture children from a young age, ensuring they have access to nutrition, health, and education to reach their full potential.”
Head of human capital at Adcock Ingram Critical Care and board member of the initiative, Marietjie Rothmann, explained that something as simple as access to a good pair of shoes can make a world of difference to a child’s ability to attend school, especially during the cold winter months.
“It helps prevent missed learning opportunities and plays a vital role in restoring a child’s dignity and self-esteem. It is a sobering reality that school shoes remain out of reach for an estimated five million children in Quintile One and Two schools nationwide. As corporate citizens and individuals, we have the opportunity to help break down these practical barriers that children face,” Marietjie concluded.
