Charity is at the heart of the prestigious Tsogo Sun Duke of Edinburgh Cup golf tournament, representing the South African leg of the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, which is played annually in 10 countries with the global aim to encourage sportsmanship.
This year, in honour of the Cup, Tsogo Sun will be sponsoring the installation of a fully-fledged Early Childhood Development centre container – an Edutainer – at Diepsloot Primary School 4 at an investment of R471 000. The Edutainer, organised by NGO, Bright Kid Foundation, is an instant classroom made from a 12-metre shipping container, well stocked with books, teaching aids and educational toys, and ideal as a pre-school classroom for up to 25 children.
Noëleen Bruton, Group Marketing Director for Tsogo Sun, explains, “We know that the first few years of education are vital for a child’s cognitive, emotional and physical development, but sadly, not all South African children have access to adequate early childhood education. In fact, according to Bright Kid Foundation only 17% of South African children receive one year or more of effective pre-schooling. As a result, children are entering Grade 1 drastically ‘un-school ready’, leading to poor results, high rates of failure, and possibly even contributing to them dropping out of school in later years.”
Research into early childhood development has shown that this period, which includes the Grade – R age group, is the most important in terms of maturing to healthy, functional adults, and it shows that good quality early childhood development produces significant social, economic, and developmental benefits to children, their families and communities. The children are more likely to be more confident and capable, less likely to repeat a grade, less likely to need remedial education, and more likely to get paid employment as adults.
Tsogo Sun has been associated with the tournament for more than 12 years and has raised and contributed over R9 million for charitable causes over the years. The tournament took place on 21 April 2017 at Steyn City, Fourways and participation was by invitation to selected Tsogo Sun Rewards cardholders from the group’s 14 casinos, as a way to thank their loyal card members for their support.
“This tournament is an annual highlight on our Tsogo Sun calendar and it’s a privilege for us to partner once again with the Duke of Edinburgh Cup,” says Bruton. “It gives us another opportunity to make a difference to disadvantaged children in our area while also guaranteeing a memorable day of golf, and the chance to share in our guests’ excitement as they battle it out to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to play on some of the best golf courses in Britain.”
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