For the seventh consecutive year, South Africa’s most loved pen, BIC®- through its partnership with the Read Educational Trust - is on a mission to distribute 1.2 million pens to learners at disadvantaged schools across South Africa.

To achieve this, BIC® is embarking on a national educational roadshow, ‘Power Their Potential’, to equip over 500 primary schools in the country’s townships and rural areas with stationery.

According to Lillian Henderson, the Marketing Director at BIC®, “With 55.5% of South Africans living in poverty, according to the latest Poverty Trends Report, many parents are forced to prioritise putting food on the table over purchasing school supplies. For their kids, however, lack of access to essentials like pens is one of the biggest obstacles to school participation and academic achievement. Our aim with our annual pen distribution drive is to make education inclusive for all and promote a culture of lifelong learning.”

Since 2011, BIC® has supplied 7.3 million children with the stationery needed to fulfil their basic educational needs through its ‘Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen’ programme. Now, the children at this year’s beneficiary schools will no longer have to share a pencil or pen, each child will have an equal chance to access a key resource to excel in the classroom.

Henderson adds, “With many schools operating under very difficult circumstances and often lacking basic teaching and educational resources such as stationery, it’s the teachers who often purchase stationery from their own pockets, so BIC® contributes, albeit in a small way, to alleviate their pressures.”

Running alongside the ‘Power Their Potential’ roadshow, a talent workshop has been developed that recognises young talent and inspires learners to get creative.Giving children the right learning tools can make a significant difference to their lives. BIC® wants to help young people pursue the opportunities and talents that will allow them to ‘Power Their Potential’ and future,”

Henderson concludes.  Show your support for ‘Power Their Potential’ by buying any specially marked BIC® ‘Buy a Pen, Donate a Pen’ pack, and in this way you are helping BIC provide the tools the youth needs to change their lives.

For more information visit https://za.bicworld.com/about-us/bic-south-africa.

For the sixth consecutive year, BIC® has embarked on its school roadshow, and this year, the stationery brand is continuing its efforts towards improving the quality of education in our schools with the message: ‘If You Can Dream It, You Can Be It’. 

Part of BIC®’s educational roadshow across KwaZulu-Natal, is a school art competition that recognising young talent, called the BIC® Art Challenge. The competition encourages learners to tap into their creative skills bringing excitement to the school classroom and awarding prizes to the winners.  

The activation is managed by The Zinto Marketing Group, specialists in creating new platforms for brands to engage with the youth market and contribute to socially conscious initiatives. The roadshow encourages learners to stay in school and work hard to reach their full potential. The brand activation agency has been involved in the education segment for the past 17 years and its info-tainment platforms are supported by the Department of Education.  

The Stationery Marketing Manager at BIC®, Ronette Kishun, says; “The hope is to build a groundswell of support through the initiative by encouraging the public to continue to donate stationery items towards lesser-resourced schools. Every purchase of specially marked stationery at local supermarkets will make a difference to help BIC® reach its target of 1.3 million pens this year.” 

“The show cleverly incorporates pop culture and the brand character ‘BIC® Boy’ who imparts key educational messages through a format that learners can engage and interact with.

The performance is presented by young and aspiring actors and dancers who have the ability to convey the message that by working together, we can achieve greatness,” Kishun further adds. 

BIC® is appealing to learners, parents, corporates and the broader public to get involved and foster a culture of learning in South Africa. Join the BIC® movement and show your support by helping to make a difference in the lives of over a million lesser-resourced learners. 

For more information, visit http://www.za.bicworld.com. Alternatively connect with them on Instagram or Twitter. For more information on Zinto visit the website: www.zinto.co.za