Suzuki: Making a Difference

Suzuki: Making a Difference 

“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give”. That’s a famous quote by former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill. And I believe that to be absolutely true as a few motoring scribes rolled up our sleeves to join Suzuki Automotive SA and Rally to Read to assist needy primary schools in the KZN Midlands to donate our time, effort and energy. And it was all for an excellent cause. We assisted with the handover of various educational and sporting items to over 12 schools, spread across the Midlands hilly plateau. Talk about starting the year on a high, Suzuki SA had a bumper 2023, with sales in excess of 5 000 units and then starting 2024 with Rally to Read.

To the uninitiated, Rally to Read is an initiative to reach rural schools across South Africa and deliver age-appropriate reading material and teacher-training tools.

The programme has criss-crossed South Africa for nearly three decades, thanks to the continuous support of automobile brands like Suzuki. In those almost thirty years it has reached hundreds of schools to help support literacy and education. I have been personally involved with Rally to Read for the past 4 years, in the Eastern Cape, with another original equipment manufacturer and there is no better reward than to see many, many happy junior school kids appreciating the initaitive. There were many happy faces. I have to say though that the conditions of the schools and classrooms in KZN were much better when compared to same in the Eastern Cape. 

Image: Naresh Maharaj

“We are excited to be part of the famous Rally to Read programme and to be able to make a difference in the lives of school children in rural areas across South Africa,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto.

“We hope to see continuous participation from all capable industry players, since we know that increased participation broadens the impact of this worthy cause.”

Fortunately for Suzuki, they have a wide selection of vehicles that are up to the task of finding or making roads to the schools identified for this round of the Rally to Read programme. For this specific campaign, Suzuki has commandeered a Grand Kitara and, for extra space to lug all the donated books and equipment, a Suzuki XL6.

Of all schools carefully chosen by those responsible, Suzuki Auto was tasked to look after Enkelabantwana Primary and Ndebeni Primary in the Midlands/ Bulwer area. Together these two schools have 28 teachers and 774 learners who will be able to utilise these Rally to Read Classroom Libraries.

In total, this round of the Rally to Read programme reached 161 educators and 4 759 learners.

“We encourage our Suzuki family and our colleagues in the automotive industry to visit rallytoread.org.za to donate, offer their help or simply to spread the word. Together we can lay the foundation of literacy on which these young children can build a successful academic career and ultimately a life,” says Carpenter.

The programme will focus on these schools for the next three years. Making a difference in the educational lives of all the leaners is what this initiative was all about and I was happy I could join in.

In giving, we receive. And I look forward to the next Rally to Read initiative. It's a worthy, pleasing cause.