information supplied by: Bridgestone South Africa 11 July 2011

Bridgestone supports education among needy school children

 
An important element of Bridgestone South Africa’s corporate social responsibility programme is the tyre company’s support of the South African Primary Education Support Initiative (SAPESI) and its Mobile Library Project.
 
Literacy in school children from previously disadvantaged areas is a countrywide concern and this project contributes to making it possible for more children to have access to educational reading materials that are not normally available at home or at school.
 
Bridgestone’s support takes the form of providing the tyres for the mobile library’s 32 vehicles operating in the provinces of Gauteng, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.  By early next year, the remaining five provinces will be equipped with mobile library vehicles currently being prepared by SAPESI.  These vehicles are operated by the Department of Education and some non-government organisations (NGOs), who regularly visit schools in often remote rural areas.
 
Bridgestone also offers a tyre care and maintenance service through its Supa Quick, Speedy and Autoquip dealers as well as Max T Solutions, a subsidiary company of Bridgestone South Africa.  Bridgestone maintains a data base for each vehicle, recording tyre sizes, distance travelled and replacement periods.  Tyres are replaced as and when necessary, based on regular assessment by Bridgestone representatives.  Fitting of tyres and alignment of wheels is conducted at no cost by Bridgestone’s retail network.
 
“Since we started working with SAPESI and the Mobile Library Project, in June last year, we have already replaced the tyres on a number of these vehicles in each of the provinces in which they are operating,” said Mandy Lovell, Bridgestone’s public relations manager.
 
“Education plays a vital role in the lives of all South Africans and our involvement with SAPESI is in line with our social responsibility focus.  We trust that our support of these mobile libraries will contribute towards improving literacy among many more school children.”
 
Established in 2005, the South Africa Mobile Library Project is a joint project between the South African Department of Education and SAPESI to improve South Africa's literacy levels.  The mobile library vehicles were acquired through donations from Japan and brought to South Africa, where provincial departments of education operate them to provide book loans to children and teachers at primary and middle schools. SAPESI also supports the preservation of South Africa's indigenous languages by providing books written in these languages.
 
Bridgestone South Africa is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo and the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres and other rubber products.
Bridgestone SA develops, manufacturers and markets tyres for various vehicle applications namely, passenger, 4x4, light commercial, truck & bus, earthmoving and agricultural
 
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Bridgestone steun onderwys onder behoeftige kinders

 
’n Belangrike deel van Bridgestone Suid-Afrika se korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheidsprogram is dié bandemaatskappy se ondersteuning van die Suid-Afrikaanse laerskool-onderwysinisiatief (SAPESI) en sy Mobiele Biblioteek-projek.
 
Die geletterdheid van skoolkinders uit voorheen benadeelde gemeenskappe is ’n landwye probleem en hierdie projek lewer ’n groot bydrae om dit vir meer kinders moontlik te maak om toegang tot opvoedkundige leesmateriaal te kry wat nie gewoonlik by die huis of op skool beskikbaar is nie.
 
Bridgestone se steun is in die vorm van die voorsiening van bande vir die mobiele biblioteek se 32 voertuie wat in die provinsies Gauteng, die Vrystaat, KwaZulu-Natal en die Wes-Kaap bedryf word.  Die oorblywende vyf provinsies sal teen vroeg aanstaande jaar van mobiele biblioteek-voertuie wat op die oomblik deur SAPESI voorberei word, voorsien wees.  Dié voertuie word bedryf deur die Departement van Onderwys en ’n aantal nie-regeringsorganisasies (NGOs), wat gereeld skole in meer afgeleë gebiede besoek.
 
Bridgestone bied ook ’n bandesorg- en instandhoudingsdiens deur sy Supa Quick-, Speedy- en Autoquip-handelaars, sowel as deur Max T Solutions, ’n filiaal van Bridgestone Suid-Afrika.  Bridgestone onderhou ook ’n databasis vir elke voertuig, met besonderhede oor bandgroottes sowel as die afstand en tydsverloop tussen vervangings.  Die bande word vervang waar en wanneer dit nodig is, en dié besluit is gegrond op Bridgestone-verteenwoordigers se gereelde waarneming.  Die pas van bande en balansering van wiele word kosteloos deur Bridgestone se kleinhandel-netwerk gedoen.
 
“Ons het reeds die bande van ’n aantal van hierdie voertuie in elk van die provinsies waar hulle ingespan word, vervang sedert ons in Junie verlede jaar by SAPESI en die Mobiele Biblioteek-projek ingeskakel het,” het Mandy Lovell, Bridgestone se bestuurder van Openbare Betrekkinge, gesê.
 
“Onderwys speel ’n uiters noodsaaklike rol in die lewe van alle Suid-Afrikaners, en ons betrokkenheid by SAPESI is in pas met die fokus van ons sosiale verantwoordelikheidsprogram.  Ons glo en vertrou dat ons steun aan hierdie mobiele biblioteke ’n groot bydrae tot die verbetering van geletterdheid onder baie meer skoolkinders sal lewer.”
 
Die Suid-Afrikaanse Mobiele Biblioteek-projek, wat in 2005 gestig is, is ’n gesamentlike projek tussen die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Onderwys en SAPESI om Suid-Afrika se geletterdheid te help verhoog.  Die Mobiele Biblioteek-voertuie is met skenkings uit Japan verkry en is na Suid-Afrika gebring waar die provinsiale departemente van onderwys dit gebruik om boeke aan kinders en onderwysers by laer- en hoërskole te leen.  SAPESI steun ook die bewaring van Suid-Afrika se inheemse tale deur boeke wat in hierdie tale geskryf is, te voorsien.
 
Bridgestone Suid-Afrika is ’n filiaal van die Bridgestone-korporasie met sy hoofkantoor in Tokyo, en is die wêreld se grootste vervaardiger van bande en ander rubber-produkte.  Bridgestone Suid-Afrika ontwikkel, vervaardig en bemark bande vir verskillende voertuig-gebruike, soos passasiers-, 4x4- en ligte handelsvoertuie, vragmotors en busse sowel as grondverskuiwings- en landboumasjinerie.
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