Walkerville is situated within the Sedibeng district of the Gauteng province. It is a small village about 30 Km (20 miles) south of Johannesburg, the provincial capital of Gauteng and the largest city in South Africa.
Midvaal municipality, where Walkerville is located, has a very low population density (about 65 inhabitants/km² vs. Johannesburg’s 2,900 inhabitants/km²) and hosts several rural/peri-urban primary schools.
In many emerging countries (i.e. not only in South Africa) rural schools generally face rather more serious challenges than urban schools. They have more difficulties in accessing adequate financial resources from their central administrations. Their pupils often need to cover long distances to attend classes, having limited access – or no access at all - to public means of transportation. Better qualified teachers tend to prefer schools in urban areas where: living conditions and access to professional opportunities tend to be better; pupils’ drop-out rates tend to be lower and attendance rates higher; classes tend to be less over-crowded and attended by same age-group children.
As a result of the above, in 2019 the Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project in South Africa decided to support the construction of a sports center at the Laerskool De Deur primary school, situated in a peri-urban area about 12 km far from the Ferrero plant. More than a third of its over 1,300 pupils benefit from the National School Nutrition Program that provides one nutritious meal to pupils of destitute families.
The school was equipped with basic sport facilities that were upgraded into a proper sports center. Such facility now disposes of a football field equipped with a new modern irrigation system; bleachers covered with canopies and a changing room with showers and toilets for the pupils.
The project was designed and implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education, its district representatives and the active support of Laerskool De Deur senior management.
The new sports facility will be made accessible also to other four rural schools located in the neighborhoods – catering for over 4,000 pupils – that, at present, do not dispose of proper sports facilities.
The importance of promoting sport activities in South African rural primary schools should not be underestimated, in a country where, according to recent surveys, only about 50 % of children get enough physical activity and where obesity levels of children and adolescents have reached critical levels.
The World Health Organisztion (WHO) reports in fact the fastest growth of obesity in the African region, where childhood overweight and obesity has more than doubled from 1990 to 2013. It is estimated that if obesity in South African children continues to increase at the current rate, 3.91 million school children will be overweight or obese by 2025.
Preventing childhood obesity is therefore not only about improving children’s health, which is an essential goal on its own. It is also about preventing obesity, ill health and premature deaths among adults.
The construction of a sports center at the Laerskool De Deur primary school will provide a good stepping stone opportunity also to promote Ferrero Kinder Joy of Moving’s methodology at local schools. In fact, the aim of this global Ferrero CSR project is to encourage younger generations to embrace an active lifestyle. Its methodology aims to get children moving, through play whilst also developing key skills in four major areas: physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive function and creativity, life skills. By so doing, it shifts the focus from performance to fun, from competition to collaboration.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the inauguration of the Laerskool De Deur sports center could not be carried out in the presence but only through a webinar attended by representatives of the main institutions involved in the implementation of the project.
Ferrero in South Africa
The second Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project was launched in South Africa in 2006.
In 2009, a modern production plant was built in Walkerville (Midvaal) in Gauteng - one of the South African regions with high rates of unemployment - in an area characterized by a low level of urbanization, about an hour from Johannesburg.
The Group’s current commercial offices in the country are based in Johannesburg.
The Ferrero plant not only produces products for the domestic market, but also for the whole free trade area known as SADC (Southern African Development Community), which, along with South Africa, consists of the following 14 countries: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Last Social Activities
NEW LAERSKOOL DE DEUR SPORTS CENTER
The Laerskool De Deur Sports Center
Gallery
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Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: construction of changing rooms
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: construction of water connections for the locker room
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: locker room block completed
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: coverage of the bleachers completed
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: overall view
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: regeneration of the lawn
Laerskool De Deur Sports Center: gatehouse, portal and access walkway
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"KINDER JOY OF MOVING (KJoM)" PILOT PROJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA
On 7 March, 2022, the “Kinder Joy of Moving (KJoM) Pilot Project in South Africa” was launched through the implementation of the first session of a training program on the KJoM methodology for over 30 teachers and principals of 7 South African primary schools.
“Kinder Joy of Moving (KJoM) Pilot Project in South Africa” is being carried out by KJoM together with Ministry of Education/Department of Basic Education (MoE/DoBE), the Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project (MFEP) and Ferrero South Africa. It builds upon the solid collaboration established through the years with MoE/DoBE, by MFEP and Ferrero South Africa, aimed at upgrading the educational work environment of primary schools in disadvantaged South African rural communities often affected by limited - or by absence of – basic school sports facilities.
Such institutional cooperation with Ferrero South Africa/MFEP has focused on the support to rural primary schools in communities within the Sedibeng District (Gauteng Province) where our Ferrero plant is located. It led thus far to the full renovation of the Randvaal Primary School premises, including its sports facilities, and the construction of the Laerskool De Deur Sports Center. This latter CSR project - finalized in 2020 – is meant to serve several other surrounding rural primary schools. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could not be utilized until now.
Eventually, in December 2021, a Letter of Understanding was signed between KJoM and MoE/DoBE to launch the “Kinder Joy of Moving Pilot Project in South Africa”. Its scope: promote the Joy of Moving methodology by implementing it, at first, in 7 rural primary schools within the Sedibeng District, attended by over 5,000 pupils who can now access the Laerskool De Deur Sports Center. Over the next few months, the KJoM Pilot Project will be training teachers from all 7 participating schools on the KJoM methodology, and provide them with technical supervision, tutoring and logistical support.
The launching event on 7 March, 2022 was overseen by KJoM Senior Manager, Gianpiero Vietto and implemented by his KJoM team, led by Alejandro Hurtado.
It was attended also by: Mr. Pheello Metsing, Director, General Educational Development (GED), Sedibeng (Gauteng), Ministry of Education/Department of Basic Education (MoE/DoBE) of the Republic of South Africa and by Mr. Ephraim Sinxezi, MoE/DoBE; Mr. Emiliano Camerlengo, Plant Manager, Ferrero South Africa and his team; and Osvaldo Lingua, Secretary General, MFEP and his team.
After finalizing the implementation of the “Kinder Joy of Moving (KJoM) Pilot Project”, and based upon its impact assessment, the envisioned plan is to further extend the implementation, in the future, of Kinder Joy of Moving also to other South African schools.
“Kinder Joy of Moving (KJoM) Pilot Project in South Africa” is being carried out by KJoM together with Ministry of Education/Department of Basic Education (MoE/DoBE), the Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project (MFEP) and Ferrero South Africa. It builds upon the solid collaboration established through the years with MoE/DoBE, by MFEP and Ferrero South Africa, aimed at upgrading the educational work environment of primary schools in disadvantaged South African rural communities often affected by limited - or by absence of – basic school sports facilities.
Such institutional cooperation with Ferrero South Africa/MFEP has focused on the support to rural primary schools in communities within the Sedibeng District (Gauteng Province) where our Ferrero plant is located. It led thus far to the full renovation of the Randvaal Primary School premises, including its sports facilities, and the construction of the Laerskool De Deur Sports Center. This latter CSR project - finalized in 2020 – is meant to serve several other surrounding rural primary schools. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could not be utilized until now.
Eventually, in December 2021, a Letter of Understanding was signed between KJoM and MoE/DoBE to launch the “Kinder Joy of Moving Pilot Project in South Africa”. Its scope: promote the Joy of Moving methodology by implementing it, at first, in 7 rural primary schools within the Sedibeng District, attended by over 5,000 pupils who can now access the Laerskool De Deur Sports Center. Over the next few months, the KJoM Pilot Project will be training teachers from all 7 participating schools on the KJoM methodology, and provide them with technical supervision, tutoring and logistical support.
The launching event on 7 March, 2022 was overseen by KJoM Senior Manager, Gianpiero Vietto and implemented by his KJoM team, led by Alejandro Hurtado.
It was attended also by: Mr. Pheello Metsing, Director, General Educational Development (GED), Sedibeng (Gauteng), Ministry of Education/Department of Basic Education (MoE/DoBE) of the Republic of South Africa and by Mr. Ephraim Sinxezi, MoE/DoBE; Mr. Emiliano Camerlengo, Plant Manager, Ferrero South Africa and his team; and Osvaldo Lingua, Secretary General, MFEP and his team.
After finalizing the implementation of the “Kinder Joy of Moving (KJoM) Pilot Project”, and based upon its impact assessment, the envisioned plan is to further extend the implementation, in the future, of Kinder Joy of Moving also to other South African schools.
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Entrance with guardhouse to Sports Center
Aerial view of the Sports Center
Aerial view of the soccer field
Changing room with “Belvedere” for school staff
Covered bleachers for the spectators
Handover ceremony of the Sports Center
Match on the football field
Match on the football field
Match on the rugby field
Match on the net-ball field
Match on the net-ball field
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Past Social Activities
Financing of the “Love Matters” project, residential seminars for raising awareness of and preventing AIDS - a disease that still affects approximately 10% of the population in South Africa, especially young people - which over 600 young people took part in.
In 2012, the Ministry of Education in South Africa launched the “94+ school projects for Madiba”. Its aim was to provide infrastructural assistance to at least 94 South African schools, in occasion of Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday, through a joint effort with local private companies.
Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project in South Africa answered such call by fully renovating the premises, including the sports facilities, of the Japie Greyling Primary School (later renamed Randvaal Primary School), a rather extensive peri-urban educational complex not far from our Walkerville plant.
Thanks to this project, the school: was able to significantly increase the number of students enrolled, which were about 250, before the start of the initiative, and currently are about three times as many; has been equipped to accommodate also special needs pupils; has been given a canteen where government programs supporting nutrition for local children can be held.
In 2017, a Primary Health Care Centre was built at our Walkerville plant.
This facility allows to:
1. strengthen and improve the assistance provided to our workforce in the field of occupational health care;
2. offer to our workers medical assistance services in the field of preventive health care and general medicine;
3. extend the access to the aforementioned services to the children and, more generally, to the family members of our employees.
In 2012, the Ministry of Education in South Africa launched the “94+ school projects for Madiba”. Its aim was to provide infrastructural assistance to at least 94 South African schools, in occasion of Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday, through a joint effort with local private companies.
Michele Ferrero Entrepreneurial Project in South Africa answered such call by fully renovating the premises, including the sports facilities, of the Japie Greyling Primary School (later renamed Randvaal Primary School), a rather extensive peri-urban educational complex not far from our Walkerville plant.
Thanks to this project, the school: was able to significantly increase the number of students enrolled, which were about 250, before the start of the initiative, and currently are about three times as many; has been equipped to accommodate also special needs pupils; has been given a canteen where government programs supporting nutrition for local children can be held.
In 2017, a Primary Health Care Centre was built at our Walkerville plant.
This facility allows to:
1. strengthen and improve the assistance provided to our workforce in the field of occupational health care;
2. offer to our workers medical assistance services in the field of preventive health care and general medicine;
3. extend the access to the aforementioned services to the children and, more generally, to the family members of our employees.
Primary Health Care Centre at Walkerville plant
FULL RENOVATION OF FORMER JAPIE GREYLING PRIMARY SCHOOL (NOW RANVAAL PRIMARY SCHOOL), IN WALKERVILLE (GAUTENG)
Gallery
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Aerial view of the Ferrero factory in Walkerville
Aerial view of the Primary Health Care Center (PHCC)
PHCC inside
PHCC inside
Complete restoration of the roofs of the Japie Greyling School
Japie Greyling school exteriors completely refurbished
The Japie Greyling school (now renamed Randvaal Primary School) after the renovation
Hon. Angelina Angie Matsie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, at the inauguration ceremony of Japie Greyling, at the end of the complete restoration work
Inauguration ceremony of the Japie Greyling
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