NEWS
Take a drive beyond the tarred roads of Siteki and you might come across a learning centre you probably have never heard of, Ekumeni Primary School. Located about 20 km from Siteki Town, this elementary school was adopted by SRIC and it is one of the beneficiaries of the corporation’s social responsibility programs.
On the 24th of May 2017, SRIC donated about 100 pairs of school shoes and socks to some of the less privileged pupils at the school. The truth of matter is that the school has more needy learners, and with this not being the first donation made to the school, the corporation has had to service the most destitute first, a situation which sadly changes on a yearly basis.
The joy and gratefulness with which the pupils received their donations was untold. The opportunity of owning something new was so precious that most of them couldn’t wait to get home but wore their shoes and socks there and then. One could tell that it gave them a chance of being like their peers and friends in wearing their school uniform.
The stories these pupils tell are sure to bring a tear or two. Some stay with grandparents who, due to poverty, consider school shoes and socks a luxury, as their only focus is on providing food and shelter. As the head teacher related, it is not uncommon for some of them to come to school on empty stomachs, hoping to get something that resembles a meal at school.
With the winter season already here, the donation was very welcome to all the recipients, particularly those who walk barefoot and those with old and torn shoes. They can now walk to school, safe in the knowledge that they are partly protected from the unforgiving cold that can be experienced even in the warmest parts of the country.
True to corporation’s tagline, “Ensuring your tomorrow, today”, SRIC continues to nurture its relationship with Ekumeni Primary School and to play her role in giving some of these children a shot at a decent future.