With initiatives spanning from renovating an old container into an eco-friendly classroom, to musical instrument donations to underprivileged schools and providing radical makeovers for children’s homes, MySchool has given back R159-million to schools and charitable organisations since it launched in 1999.

Currently, the organisation works with over 9 000 schools and over 100 villages that care for children and raises in excess of R2.5-million every month.

“Youth Day is a very special day in our country, and with all the challenges our youth face such as unemployment and skills shortages, we are honoured as an organisation to be able to help make a difference to their lives on a daily basis,” says Helene Brand, MySchool's marketing manager.

It was during the Play it Forward initiative of 2010 that encouraged schools to carry on giving to under-resourced schools that MySchool gave back a total of R400 000 towards both resourced and under-resourced schools. During the same year, MySchool also arranged for 94 underprivileged children to meet Madiba on his birthday and, as a gift to him, supplied the kids with school uniforms.

MySchool has also participated in childrens’ home makeovers to ensure that the lives of the kids who are being cared for in these homes are brightened and improved with increased resources, sound building structures and generally a more cheerful environment.

More recently, the organisation donated portable science laboratories to seven needy Durban-based schools to enable the learners to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical sessions. MySchool has also built partnerships with industry leaders that now help them to reach 100 school principals with free capacity-building workshops.

“With the great need that exists for support in our country, we are always looking at worthy causes to support,” continues Brand.

To find out more about the MySchool programme and how you can get involved, visit www.myschool.co.za.