School wins R100 000 with Sunshine D

October 2010

Mhola Primary School in Barberton, Mpumalanga is the R100 000 winner in Willowton Oil's Sunshine D Schools Colouring Competition.

Primedia Face 2 Face and Sunshine D recently embarked on a national roadshow to create awareness around Sunshine D's schools colouring in competition. The roadshow made use of Face 2 Face's Promobile service which afforded Sunshine D the opportunity to effectively target and reach rural schools across the country. The Promobile offers the option to travel to those difficult, almost inaccessible areas in both rural and peri-urban areas.

"This initiative is part of our Corporate Social Investment. Leading up to the competition, Sunshine D hosted several interactive road-shows at rural schools across the country. In total 440 schools were afforded the opportunity of participating in the competition. Mhola Primary School sent in a staggering 7761 entries securing them victory," says Hilton Cairns, National Marketing Manager of Willowton Oil.

"Mhola Primary will use the money to build an art gallery, providing a suitable platform to showcase learners' artistic talents and boost their morale, as well as extra classrooms which they are in dire need of due to overcrowding at the school. Investing in such community initiatives can only be beneficial and yield positive results for years to come," adds Cairns.

Although this was a colouring-in competition, it was not learners' colouring skills that determined the winner but the highest number of entries per school. One of Sunshine D's main brand goals is nutritional education; hence the colour in competition had an educational element to it. Each school was given 700 entry forms and encouraged to make copies to increase their school's chance of winning. Schools had from May 2010 to 31 July 2010 to enter.

"While pupils were informed of this exciting competition as part of our road shows, they also received valuable lessons in nutrition and smart eating choices. We are overwhelmed with the way the children have responded to the initiative. The key function of our road shows is to inform communities about the importance of a balanced diet and proper eating habits. The reality is that many people still do not have access to basic information pertaining to nutrition and this is our way of making a difference," says Cairns.

In addition to the Sunshine D Schools Colouring Competition, Willowton Oil recently announced that R4million will be donated to charity to celebrate its 40 years in business. Independent judges are currently evaluating over 750 applications to select Forty deserving non-profit social and welfare organisations across South Africa who will each receive R100 000 - over and above the annual charitable commitments of the company, which remains unchanged.

Principal of Mhola Primary School, Nomsa Beauty Khoza says that she is ecstatic that her school was declared the winner and thanked Willowton Oil for their generosity.

"We are so grateful to Willowton Oil for this competition which won us R100 000. Our children will soon have the privilege of displaying their artwork in a gallery. It is only through Willowton's kindness that a township school can enjoy such luxury. Since news of our winning filtered through the community we have had numerous parents praise Willowton Oil for their commitment, hailing Sunshine D as the brand to believe in," says Khoza.

Cairns concludes, "Mhola Primary's efforts certainly were rewarded and we are pleased that we can now be a part of their future plans of upgrading the school for the benefit of the learners. Such educational projects that motivate and empower children will continue to be at the forefront of all our social investment initiatives."