T he big moment has arrived: On the 31st of January we celebrated the official inauguration of the iThemba primary school in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Many deserving kids will enjoy first-class education; this will build the foundation to bring their dreams to life”, states Erik Mosch, CEO Lufthansa InTouch.
A dream come true
105 children in three classes have been attending the iThemba Primary School since the beginning of the year. In a few years, the school will offer high-quality education and the chance for a better future to 700 learners. This is urgently needed in the area, where more than 2,000 children do not have place in a school.
Help Alliance, the aid organisation of the Lufthansa Group and its employees, bears the construction costs of the school; it is the largest project of the Help Alliance to date. “We are very pleased to be able to offer so many under-privileged children such first-class education”, said Vivian Spohr, Patron Help Alliance. “A dream has come true, not only for the many people who have worked tirelessly to make this project a reality. These children now also have the opportunity to make their dreams come true.”
Collaboration and a holistic approach
Lufthansa InTouch has been supporting iThemba pre-primary school since it was founded in 2006. “We were convinced that the children and their families have to continue to receive first-class education after pre-school in order to maintain and develop the level of education”, says Susanne French, Help Alliance Project Manager. “This is why we built this primary school”. But that’s not all, Susanne adds: “We aim to set up a community college for the whole family, because we take a holistic approach.”
With the pre-school and the new primary school, iThemba and Help Alliance take steps to counter the impoverished conditions in the area. The close cooperation with the families and the community creates trust and acceptance, and the new primary school is also based on this successful concept.
“iThemba means hope, and that is exactly the feeling I had when I visited the school. Hope and confidence that these children will have a better future”, says Erik Mosch, CEO Lufthansa InTouch. “By providing them with education and healthy meals we give them a chance for a better future”.
The iThemba schools are a flagship project that perfectly represents the entrepreneurial social responsibility of Lufthansa InTouch and the entire Lufthansa Group.
