Drive for earthquake victims. The drive for earthquake victims was born just after the Earthquake struck Syria and TṺrkiye on 6th February 2023. One of San Souci’s Grade 12 learners, Chloë Jooste, came forward with a great idea.The idea to try to collect non-perishable foods to send to the victims affected by the earthquake at that time. The idea was put forward to Mrs Humphreys, Acting Principal. It was thought to incorporate the idea into the school’s Interact Society.
It was soon to be discovered that they needed a far larger ‘community’ to assist them in order to bring this drive to fruition. They then sent many emails to various parties:
- Sans Souci school parent community
- Business around our school
- Other schools in the area, as well as further afield
- Religious organizations
The response of the drive for earthquake victims was very slow in the beginning. Along with much effort and hard work the response started to grow. “We needed to get the word out to the public on various media platforms as well – in order to push the drive forward. We had radio interviews, news paper interviews to bring awareness about our drive and how the general public and businesses could contribute to the drive.”
Financial contributions
The drop off point was at the school itself. They also made the school’s banking details available for those that wanted to contribute financially towards the drive. They then collected all the money to purchase further non-perishable foods.
A few weeks after starting the drive, they held a civvies day at the school. The learners needed to bring either two cans of food, or R10 – in order to wear civvies for the day at school. They also had a special incentive for the classes that had 100% participation on the day. The school was really pleased to see that it was the largest amount of money that they have ever raised on a civvies day. “So, we were really pleased with the response from our own learners and their families. We used our social media platforms extensively to advertise our drive and to keep our community informed as we went along.”
“We contacted the Embassies of both Syria and TṺrkiye to invite them to a special school assembly that we would host. There we would hand over the cans of food (and some clothing collected as well) to the Representatives of Gift of the Givers. They were very willing to transport the donations to both TṺrkiye and Syria on our behalf.”
Norman Henshilwood High School
Throughout the process, it was necessary to follow up via emails, WhatsApp and telephone calls to ensure that the ‘ball’ was not dropped along the way. We also sent special invitations to the donors who contributed significantly to the drive. Norman Henshilwood High School – had a drive at their school via their Muslim Society and their Interact Society. They then arranged for their large contribution to be brought to Sans Souci.
The school also had a significant monetary contribution from Mercedes Benz as well. It was used to purchase more cans to bolster the donations. They did a count of the stock at the end of each day.
Closer to the time of the Special Assembly, they started planning for the programme on the day. Here again they contacted many newspapers and radio stations – by sending them a Media Briefing .
Embassies
“We had to follow up with the Embassies as they are so busy. We were so pleased that on the day the Consulate General from TṺrkiye came along to meet us. Everybody is happy to say that we have established an opportunity for further networking with a ‘sister-school’ in the earthquake area of TṺrkiye. Our learners are looking forward to communicating with their learners – to share about each other’s cultures and interests.”
“The programme would consist of the playing of the national anthems of the two countries as the special guests entered the hall. Our learners, other invited guests, the Media and the members of our SGB were all in the audience. We had built a ‘pyramid’ from all the cans etc. collected on the stage. The flags of the two countries were prominently displayed at various parts of the hall itself.”
The special speakers were: Choë Jooste (Gr 12 learner), Mr Ali Sablay from Gift of the Givers and Judge S Desai. The school’s SGB Chairman and proceedings were led by Mrs Humphreys. “Our School Music Department had an opportunity to perform at a musical interlude. Later on in the day the Consulate General came to the school, as he had another engagement at the time of the Assembly.”
Gift of the Givers
The next day the Gift of the Givers came to collect all the goods to pack into boxes. They stored it in a container at the airport – later to be transported via Turkish Airlines as well.
Since the Assembly, the media exposure for the school, for Chloë Jooste and for the plight of those devastated by the earthquake has been amazing.
Doing something of this magnitude is not an easy task. However, it is a very worthwhile endeavour. It takes multiple levels of support and constant follow-up. “For us, the fact that we as a school, whose motto is “Disce Prodessa”, to learn to be of Service to Humanity – used an opportunity like this to actually fulfil that motto for the betterment of humanity , has made this whole ‘adventure’ so enriching and fulfilling.
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