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To celebrate 300 000 school learners taking confident, dignified steps into their futures, donors, dignitaries, and healthcare partners gathered at a rural school near Magaliesberg to honour the impact of an innovative programme delivering high-quality school shoes — each pair carrying an unexpected story.

“Education is crucial in equipping a child for life and opening doors to a world of possibilities,” says Delanie Bezuidenhout, general manager of My Walk Made with Soul, a collaboration between Netcare and Adcock Ingram Critical Care.

“With each pair of new school shoes given today and over the past five years, our donors are helping to support children on their educational journey,” she said at the event, where some 700 children received shoes.

More than 300 000 children are better prepared for school attendance thanks to the remarkable generosity of individual and corporate donors, who have equipped them with school shoes through the award-winning My Walk Made With Soul initiative since its inception in 2020.

 

 

The innovative upcycling programme reclaims high quality polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from uncontaminated, non-hazardous healthcare waste, such as drip bags and tubing, collected from participating Netcare hospitals in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. This PVC is then converted into brand-new, fully recyclable school shoes for kids.

“Big ideas can spark change, but it’s inspired leadership that turns those ideas into reality,” reflects Dr Nceba Ndzwayiba, Netcare’s director of human resources and transformation, and chairperson of the My Walk Made with Soul Board at the event hosted near Magaliesburg.

“Dr Richard Friedland, CEO of Netcare, and Colin Sheen, managing director of Adcock Ingram Critical Care, have been the steady hands guiding this project from the start. Richard has given his heart and soul to this mission, committed to reaching the goal of one million school shoes and beyond.”

“Every Maloney Eye Primary Farm School learner here today holds the potential to become a leader, an educator, a healthcare hero, or to shape a better future in countless ways if they have the foundational support,” he adds.

“Why does education matter? The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an international peace icon who helped shape our country and the world, reminded us that access to good, inclusive education is the bedrock of dynamic and equitable societies.

“To build a more inclusive economy for the next generation, the private and public sectors must work together to develop more sustainable pathways that support young people on their journey to employment. But to truly succeed, we need to nurture children from a young age, ensuring they have access to nutrition, health, and education to reach their full potential,” notes Dr Ndzwayiba.

Marietjie Rothmann, head of human capital at Adcock Ingram Critical Care and board member of My Walk Made With Soul, explains: “Something as simple as access to a good pair of shoes can make a world of difference to a child’s ability to attend school—especially during the cold winter months. It helps prevent missed learning opportunities and plays a vital role in restoring a child’s dignity and self-esteem.”

“It is a sobering reality that school shoes remain out of reach for an estimated 5 million children in Quintile One and Two schools nationwide. As corporate citizens and individuals, we have the opportunity to help break down these practical barriers to education children face.

“These shoes are not only helping to make the path to education a little easier for beneficiaries at schools all over the country – the initiative has also kept 145 128 kilogrammes of healthcare waste out of landfills, by giving it new life and supporting a circular economy,” she adds.

“Since the My Walk Made With Soul initiative began, we have been awestruck by the outpouring of support from individuals, corporations, religious groups and community organisations – all eager to help meet the need for quality school shoes,” adds Dr Ndzwayiba.

“This innovative programme was barely off the ground when the pandemic struck, yet powered by donations and the goodwill of countless individuals and organisations big and small, My Walk Made with Soul has gained strength, continuing to meet this critical need in communities across South Africa,” he says.

“None of this progress would have been possible without the tremendous support of our sponsors, whose contributions we sincerely appreciate.

“What My Walk Made With Soul has demonstrated to business is that when we unite to find creative ways to address the needs of young people, we can transform waste into opportunity, building lasting social impact alongside environmental sustainability,” Dr Ndzwayiba concludes.

What’s in a shoe? Upcycling for sustainability

My Walk Made With Soul school shoes are made from 100% recyclable, high quality polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

The PVC comes from safe healthcare sources, starting life as items such as intravenous drip bags, which provide life-sustaining fluids to people in participating Netcare hospitals in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Previously, these items would be used once and discarded as landfill waste. Now, 20 empty IV bags can be upcycled to make one pair of durable, comfortable, waterproof school shoes and help change a child’s destiny.

Uncontaminated drip bags, tubing, and other PVC materials are carefully sorted within the hospitals, then collected and washed, ready to be converted into granules, which are melted down and moulded into My Walk Made With Soul school shoes.

It takes just 17 seconds to produce one shoe and only a minute to manufacture two pairs of school shoes.

Step up: Donate a pair of shoes for only R35

For just R35, your donation can provide a pair of durable, sustainable school shoes to a child in need. My Walk Made With Soul is a registered public benefit organisation (PBO) and can provide sponsors with an 18A certificate.

• One pair of school shoes for a learner costs R35.
• Five pairs of school shoes for five learners cost R175.
• Ten pairs of school shoes for 10 learners cost R350.

To enquire about bulk corporate orders, sponsorships, or donations, contact Delanie Bezuidenhout at Delanie.bezuidenhout@mywalk.org.za.
 
Or deposit your donation into the MyWalk sponsorship bank account:

Account name: My Walk Made With Soul NPC
Account number: 62848314366
Bank: FNB
Account type: Corporate current account
Branch: 255005 RMB Corporate Banking Johannesburg
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: Your Name
For more information please visit www.mywalk.org. 

Ends

Notes to editors
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