On Mandela Day, the FESPA Foundation partnered with others to renovate Batau Primary School in South Africa, demonstrating their “Print for Good” mission. The article highlights their ongoing project to improve four more underserved schools by upgrading infrastructure, providing educational resources, and fostering community self-sufficiency through initiatives like community gardens and libraries.
Good’ to facilitate education in underserved communities
The FESPA Foundation is incredibly proud to reflect on its South Africa-based team’s efforts on Mandela Day, Friday 18 July. On that special day, alongside its incredible partners, its team dedicated 67 minutes – and much more – to make a tangible difference at Batau Primary School.
The event demonstrated the FESPA Foundation’s core mission: leveraging the power of print to inspire and improve educational resources for children in underserved rural communities.
Steve Thobela, FESPA Foundation’s Africa Coordinator, says: “The FESPA Foundation is now moving to the second phase after the pilot project, which was the transformation of the Ivane Intermediate School in KwaZulu Natal. Phase two involves four other schools, including Batau Primary School.”
Collective efforts
The four new schools are strategically located in Limpopo, a province where, Thobela feels, the FESPA Foundation can make a significant impact.
The FESPA Foundation’s efforts on Mandela Day at Batau Primary School showcased the power of collaboration. The team had vital support from Printing SA, represented by Abisha Katerere and Jermaine Naicker, and Sign Wonder, led by Justin Robert and his associates.
Thobela explains: “Sign Wonder provided labour and printed signs for free. Meanwhile, Printing SA provided lunch for everyone who was there”.
A standout moment of the day was the installation of a new sign at Batau Primary School, which is set to bring pride to the facility moving forward. Thobela notes: “Installing the sign [with the school name on it] was the climax of the day. When it was unveiled, people were crying because it represents the pride of the school. If you looked at the school before, you would’ve seen that the name was simply written on a wall with faded paint, which was hardly visible. Now imagine you are a student at that particular school and how it must’ve felt to have a sign like that.”
Other work carried out by The FESPA Foundation on Mandela Day included: painting classrooms, repairing fences and replacing ceiling sections.
Thobela continues: “Though the ‘67 minutes’ are symbolic, our team and partners worked tirelessly throughout most of the day – and it was truly fulfilling for everyone who was involved.”
The engagement of local leadership, like the chief of the village at Batau Primary School on Mandela Day, further solidified the impact of the FESPA Foundation’s work.
Focus: Four new schools
In addition to Batau Primary School, the FESPA Foundation is focusing its attention on other schools in Limpopo: Malekapane Primary School, Pitseng ya Thuto Primary School and Madesei Primary School.
At Malekapane Primary School, despite its challenging conditions (such as an inadequate kitchen, crumbling walls and pit toilets), the school’s principal was so inspired the FESPA Foundation’s initial contribution that she rallied the community to raise additional funds for tiles and ceiling repairs.
This self-sufficiency is a core aim of the FESPA Foundation, as Thobela highlights: “It shouldn’t be just about. Money, but inspiring people to do things for themselves.”
Thobela highlights that it’s essential for the schools’ infrastructures to be functional and safe before the FESPA Foundation supplies educational and printed resources.
“We didn’t initially expect to be working on the ‘brick and mortar’ structures of the schools, but you can’t just put a signboard on a pane that is peeling off. The works we’re carrying out ensure that the material we provide is not simply placed on dilapidated structures,” he says.
The FESPA Foundation team in South Africa is currently awaiting a significant delivery of educational items, printed at FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin in May 2025. These items, produced from repurposed exhibition materials, are expected to arrive in South Africa in mid-August 2025 and will be distributed all five of the partner schools in South Africa. This includes: Evane Intermediate School in KwaZulu Natal; and Malekapane Primary School, Pitseng ya Thuto Primary School and Madesei Primary School, all based in Limpopo.
Supporting communities
Beyond infrastructure, the FESPA Foundation is dedicated to fostering a love for learning. At Madesei Primary School, which already has a library building but lacks books, the FESPA Foundation is collecting books to donate. Thobela noted, “The library hasn’t got any books, which is heartbreaking. So, we’re calling for people to donate them to us, if they’re unable to donate financially.”
The FESPA Foundation’s vision for the library extends far beyond the school’s students.
Thobela explains: “The thinking is, we want the school to become a community centre. This means the libraries will be open to all ages, providing a crucial resource for adults’ education, as well as community development.”
The FESPA Foundation is also supporting Malekapane Primary School by planting a vegetable garden, which will provides essential nutrition for the students. For some, Thobela explains, their meal at school is the only one they receive each day.
He says: “With our support, this garden will expand to become a community initiative, fostering self-sufficiency. Then, the community can plant there. They will be able to sell some of the vegetables to fund some of the school’s projects, going forward.”
The FESPA Foundation wholeheartedly invites individuals and businesses within the print industry to join us in transforming the lives of children in under-resourced schools. Your support, whether through volunteering, monetary contributions, or donations of books, can make an immense difference.