Friendship day is the special event, celebrated by everyone and anyone around the world - friends fill new glasses, open doors, create opportunities and help each other out. Whether it’s for someone you know or don’t, everyone needs a friend.

This year has been quite an interesting year for heroic kids in primary schools across South Africa, with inspirational efforts and heart-warming stories - young people in schools get more encouraged to do good for their friends.

Young Lakhe Mdeliswa, a Grade 7 pupil from Cedarberg Primary School showed appreciation of her friends in the community - making her bond with disadvantaged kids grow stronger.

Mdeliswa collects clothes and distributes them to her needy friends in the community through her church. This was a project that she started on her own because she saw children wearing torn clothes and felt the need to do something to help them.

“The Hero Awards programme is an integral part of Pick n Pay School Club. Our learners need to be recognised when they do ‘good’ and deserve to be made feel special when they accomplish something great. We are so fortunate to be able to award these learners and take part in their joy,” said Nadine Visser, Pick n Pay School Club Platform Manager at HDI Youth Marketeers, Africa’s leading youth market specialist agency.

The Hero Awards is a special component of Pick n Pay School Club – for friends by friends. On a day-to-day basis, teachers are on the lookout for any heroic acts, whatever they may be, no matter how small they seem. Each month, selected learners are rewarded with a Hero certificate and badge from the Pick n Pay School Club School Liaison Officers.

Her educator, Mrs Louw, said that “through Lakhe’s clothes collection project, she has inspired a group of children at the school who have joined her in helping the community. Learners are encouraged to bring old clothes they no longer wear to school, and the response has been amazing”. 

School Club encourages educators to award their learners for heroic acts, as recognition is so important for learners’ confidence, their emotional intelligence and their positive influence on one another. It encourages them to continuously do good, and that is how we can work together to grow tomorrow’s leaders.

About Pick n Pay School Club

The Pick n Pay School Club is South Africa’s largest brand funded education platform currently in its thirteenth year. Pick n Pay School Club provides much-needed educational support to 3025 schools across the country and in so doing creates change in the lives of over 2.26 million learners and 105 875 educators.

For more information, email Nadine Visser at [email protected] or Catherine Bothma at [email protected] or phone +27 11 706-6016.