During the month of February we went through the alphabet and shared the things we love. O was for outreach!
This is such an integral part of what we do. Our grandfather wrote in his letter of proposal about “leaving the world better”. We adopted this as our vision and helping has become part and parcel of what we do.
0 is also part of the Big 5-0. A great age and maybe a time when we eventually feel “grown-up”! Possibly a time when we feel we should have achieved much and we really should have our ducks lined up and our lives in order… but actually I don’t think we are ever completely sorted, we’ll always worry a bit and there is always challenge and more work to do…
So do we must. We started our Big5Hike to help raise important funds for our school. The family committed to 10 years of giving up a weekend of trading to ensure that all funds raised went to the cause. And so we have arrived at the very end. 2024 is the final round.
Expenses at the school will still roll in and providing quality will never be cheap. We need excellent teachers, inspiring leaders and good resources to effect real change.
So it’s 5-0 and final Big5Hike. It would be awesome if this final event was awesome… imagine if we raised R3m so that some could be invested to ensure our future sustainability.
And sustainability is something we’ve been talking about and working on. We have committed to more than a school with over 100 children. We work with 18 preschools, providing daily porridge, teacher training and mentoring, helping to improve infrastructure and provide resources. We have a programme that helps provide insight, understanding and assistance to mothers and carers regarding the critical period that is the first 1000 days. And we’ve started community reading and a yoga programme. So much. Royal Drak is the heart and hub of this work and it’s essential that we can keep making the world better.
So join us. We do have some space. Raise R10 000. Contribute to making things better. All is not lost. There are beautiful stories of success and we mustn’t be disheartened. We must continue to “do”.