25 January 2002
RALLY TO READ
JOIN US IN FIGHTING SA'S REAL CLASS WAR
Weekend warriors' sponsorship can transform rural schools
 Are you worried by the Incredible Shrinking Rand? Is your company pulling in its horns until SA's economy starts to improve?
Look on the bright side. At least you have rands to shrink.
For many SA communities, there's no question of economic cycles, of moving between boom and bust. For them, there's only bust.
Take education. All over SA, children are returning to classrooms after the long holidays. Parents and governing bodies have resumed the annual battle to collect fees and raise funds to keep their schools functioning. In many urban schools, including State ones, the bills run into millions of rand. Sunset boulevard . . . the further away the city, the more spectacular the view
Most rural schools have no such problem. There isn't any money to collect. Impoverished families and local communities have nothing. What little financial support some schools get from government is quickly swallowed. It may pay for a couple of bills and salaries, but there's nothing left over for luxuries - like books and pencils.
Luxuries? Tragically, yes. There are thousands of schools all over SA where teaching aids are never seen.
For privileged urban children used to school computer centres, Internet access to information, motivated teachers and plentiful sporting and cultural facilities, it's hard to imagine a school with none of them.
But that's only the start of it for many of our children. They also have no books, writing paper, pencils, desks, chairs, electricity or even toilets.
Little wonder that 50% of schoolchildren drop out before high school - most in rural areas. With no command of English - the language they are expected to switch to in Grade 5 - their cause is nearly hopeless.
It is these children that Rally To Read was created to help.
Rally To Read, a joint venture between the FM, McCarthy Motor Holdings and the Read Educational Trust, was founded in 1997 to provide books and teacher training to impoverished rural schools. That year, R180 000 was raised to help 12 schools in KwaZulu-Natal.
By 2001, this had grown to R1,75m for 99 schools in six provinces. This year we aim to raise R2m and take the Rally into seven provinces.
Rally To Read isn't your typical project where sponsors' money disappears into an administrative hole. Every cent is spent on those for whom it is intended. And to make sure there's no false accounting, we invite you, our sponsors, to come along and see where the money goes.
To become a full sponsor of Rally To Read in 2002 costs R12 000. That buys two portable libraries - stocked with English reading books - worth R4 000 each, plus two years of specialised teacher training, carried out by Read, worth another R4 000.
Sponsors deliver the books in person. During the weekends in May, we will take convoys of 4x4 vehicles into SA's most remote and spectacular corners. The dates and destinations are:
May 4-5: Western Cape; North West.
May 11-12: Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal.
May 18-19: Eastern Cape; Northern Province.
May 25-26: Free State.
Rally members meet early Saturday morning, and load up with portable libraries before breaking up into small teams to travel to schools. At most schools, delivery of books is accompanied by traditional singing and dancing; whole communities often arrive for the occasion.
Everyone meets up again Saturday evening for dinner, and the night is spent in local accommodation. Sunday offers the chance for a more leisurely exploration of the area, including the option of a local 4x4 trail, ending with a late lunch. The aim is to have everyone home by about 5 pm.
If you have your own 4x4, bring it along. If not, McCarthy has a few to lend. For those unsure of their 4x4 skills, each convoy is led by an experienced offroader.
Who should you bring along in your vehicle? It's up to you. It can be colleagues, friends or family, including children.
To become a sponsor, or for more information, contact Pam Richardson at McCarthy. Her phone no is (031) 268-9298, fax (031) 209-6233, cell 082-447-2248, e-mail pamr@mcretail.co.za. Or click on the Rally To Read icon on the FM's Website: www.fm.co.za.
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