Shoes for young learners thanks to Meropa

Young learners from Kgabetli Primary School will be able to walk to school with pride and dignity this winter thanks to Meropa Casino & Entertainment World and its outsourced cleaning partner, I Bower and Associates.
The partners, which often come together to uplift lives in local communities, have donated 107 pairs of brand new, quality school shoes to learners in need at the school.
The shoes, valued at over R20 000, were handed over to the school’s principal by Miss Limpopo, Ntsetselelo Mkansi, and representatives of Meropa Casino and Entertainment World and I Bower and Associates recently. Mkansi and the representatives took turns to fit the learners with their new shoes and helped them to tie the laces.
The young beneficiaries were elated as many of them have never owned a new pair of shoes.
Kgabetli Primary School provides primary education to children in Vaaltyn, some of them are from underprivileged families. The scourge of HIV/Aids has ripped through families in the area and poverty is taking its toll.
“Every time you take a step in your new shoes, think about hope for a new tomorrow,” Mkansi told the learners.
The principal thanked Meropa, I Bower and Associates and Miss Limpopo. “This is a great motivation for the learners during this time of the year. Many of our learners have to walk considerable distances to get to school and without warm and properly fitting shoes the journey is difficult, especially in winter.”
This handover reminded everyone of the cold hard fact that there are thousands of people in local communities, children in particular, who do not have shoes to wear due to circumstances.
“We are pleased to once again partner with I Bower and Associates to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable children in our community. We believe that this gift will go a long way. One day these children will look back on the day they received new shoes and that it inspired them to continue going to school despite the weather. This winter is going to be slightly easier for these youngsters this year,” Mothomoni Mapela, Socio-Economic Development Practitioner at Meropa said.

Featured Photo: Archive – Miss Limpopo 2016, Ntsetselelo Mkansi.