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paraathletics
BIC, a world leader in stationery, recently announced its partnership with South Africa’s most anticipated paralympian to track in the build-up to Paris 2024, Mpumelelo Mhlongo.
The partnership drew from the similarities between the renowned athlete’s inspirational story and BIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Together We Can Write the Future. The program aims to raise awareness around the alarmingly high school dropout rate of 41% in South Africa, focusing on the importance of providing students with the necessary resources to help them stay in school.
Mpumelelo’s inspirational story is a perfect metaphor that showcases how individual efforts, the right environment, and the relevant resources can create a hero – despite challenging circumstances.
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Lilian Henderson, Director of Marketing Southern and East Africa at BIC, said: “Mhlongo’s story is inspiring. It is a reason to believe that you can thrive in any environment if the right resources are attainable. As a brand committed to education, we believe that change starts with ‘one’. An individual who believes in you, a teacher that supports you, an organization that funds you, a parent that encourages you. Our nationwide initiative Buy a Pen Donate a Pen and our partnership with Mhlongo are a testament to that.”
Through Buy a Pen Donate a Pen, BIC has donated over 15 million writing tools to students in need since 2012. This year, the company aims to reach a total of 1M donations encouraging consumers to make a difference for every pen they purchase. Students receive donations through BIC’s annual roadshows that take place from March to June of every year.
Commenting on the partnership, Mpumelelo said: “As a South African child who needed a cheerleader, I understand the difference that the support of a community can make. Someone took a chance on me and that completely changed the course of my life. My partnership embodies my experience. I would love to be for our children today, the person I needed to have as a child, and I am touched to collaborate with brands that understand the meaning of that to the future of our society. I look forward to this collaboration and to visiting students at the various school activations led by BIC.”
BIC is committed to improving learning conditions for 250 million students by the year 2025. In South Africa, BIC incepted the Buy a Pen Donate a Pen campaign to provide students in underprivileged communities with the necessary resources they need to perform in the classroom.
In 2023, the brand expanded the initiative into a community-wide CSR platform that aims to raise awareness of the country’s high school dropout rate (41%). Based on the finding that one of the main reasons for school dropouts is the lack of resources, BIC continues to provide students with the necessary writing tools to remain in school and calls on individuals and organisations to join the movement to provide students with the resources they need.
BIC’s partnership with Mpumelelo Mhlongo is the most recent step the brand took in sparking further behavioural change within South Africa for South Africa.
