“Rally to Read is an extraordinary story – of caring, collaboration and hope”. President Cyril Ramaphosa
On Monday 1st March 2021, we set off on the annual KZN/Drakensberg Rally to Read Drive. Rally to Read is an initiative very close to the heart of Bidvest Insurance and one that we are honored to have been involved with for over 10 years. The purpose of Rally to Read is to support the South African schooling system by providing educational supplies and teacher training to remote and rural schools for grade R to 7 learners, ensuring that these youngsters have the best possible start in developing their love for reading and writing.
The delivery teams for the day included Bidvest Insurance, SMG/Land Rover & Jaguar, Rally to Read, Shave & Gibson, and Bay Union. We hit the road in convoy and made our way to our various assigned schools, which for us were Insukangihlale, Intumbane, and Dukuza.
As with all things in 2021, the day was coordinated under the ‘New Normal’. This unfortunately meant shorter handovers, restricted to just the delivery team and the school principal. We really did miss going into the school grounds and spending time with the learners, as done in previous years, but the most important aspect of the day was still achieved and this was to deliver the Rally to Read boxes that were packed with educational supplies.
A thoughtful addition to the Rally to Read boxes this year was the inclusion of multiple copies of learning materials, ensuring students could take these home and have access to activities when ‘learning from home’ – a great initiative and one that really echoes the impact that Covid-19 has had on the schools. In fact, these supplies are possibly more important than ever as teachers and students try to make up for the lost time and reduce this impact as much as possible.
It was a real privilege to be involved in the Rally to Read KZN Drive 2021 and we’re happy to say that it was a great success. A massive thank you to Rally to Read and all who were involved and we wish all the schools, teachers, and learners all the best for the academic year ahead!
