MUFONGODI Primary School, situated just outside Dzanani in Venda benefitted from the donation of a state-of-the-art kitchen centre worth R400 000.
The hand-over of the kitchen took place on Tuesday.
Donated and built by the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and the national department of transport, the kitchen centre is meant to reduce the number of learners who need medical care due to illnesses relating to poor food hygiene and malnutrition, said the deputy minister for transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
Chikunga also announced that the department, in partnership with the RAF, would build a dining hall for the school in the next financial year.
“We visited the school in 2012 during the launch of Limpopo’s Transport Month in October.
“We took note of the bad state of the school, especially the kitchen where the learners’ food was cooked.
“Later I visited the school as part of the government’s Back to School Campaign the following year and donated shoes to disadvantaged learners so that they may do not have to travel to and from school barefooted,” Chikunga said.
“Our government feeds hundreds of thousands learners throughout the country through our School Feeding Scheme, but most of our schools were not built with the facilities to cater for such a service.
“We urge the private sector, as well as other government entities to partner up and assist where possible.
“We congratulate the RAF on taking the lead to save the lives of many of the learners of Mufongodi from diseases associated with the conditions that are prevalent here,” she added.
The CEO of the RAF, Dr Eugene Watson, said they felt they could not remain on the sidelines while the health of children was in danger.
“We understand that a healthy body contributes to a healthy mind and we hope to improve the healthy condition of these learners,” said Watson.
School principal, Edson Ramuhulu, said the learners were thankful to the department and the RAF for improving the conditions at the school.
Ramuhulu promised that they would help by making the building safer to benefit future generations.
