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Tsogo Sun Duke of Ed­inburgh Cup supports ECD

11 May 2017

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.”

Story and Pictures Supplied

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