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It takes a village to raise a child, especially during these uncertain times. Here are seven ways of building a caring school community that can lend a helping hand for those who need a helping hand.

Swipe your MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card every time you shop at one of the programme’s retail partners. A portion of your spend will be donated on your behalf to a school or cause of your choice.

If you aren’t a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet supporter, sign up and select the schools and causes closest to your heart.

Keep parents connected with digital resources 

The data needed for virtual lessons or to download worksheets can be expensive. An alternative option is to sign up for a subscription to school worksheet libraries such as E-classroom or Worksheet Cloud. These resources will ensure children still have access to learning and revision materials.

Donate the school items you no longer use or need  

Many schools have clothing banks that would benefit from donated uniforms. They often sell these to other parents at a fraction of the normal cost.  Donate excess and second-hand stationery to various teachers to keep in their classrooms for pupils who may need additional supplies.

Help your local library 

Many pupils from under-resourced schools turn to their local libraries for internet access to conduct their research. If you have books, unused computers or money to spare, consider making a donation to library.

Keep calm and Karri on

Schools have experienced significant losses over the last year, not only in unpaid fees but also because they haven’t been able to conduct their usual fundraising activities.  Without the usual fundraising activities, and in some cases fees from parents, many schools are struggling to make ends meet.

To help show teachers and schools how appreciated they are, secure school payments app Karri  (powered by Nedbank) is paying it forward with a R500 000 donation to parents across the country.

“We are distributing R500 000 in denominations of R500 that will appear in parents’ Karri wallets. This will help schools by enabling parents to directly contribute to fundraising initiatives,” says Anthea Abrahams, General Manager at Karri. “We are also offering a R10 000 cash incentive to the school that raises the most money from a fundraising collection.”

Whether or not you #FindThe500 in your Karri wallet, supporting schools is a very worthy way to spread the love.

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Ride and share

The d6 Connect App has launched a ride-sharing service that offers convenient, affordable, and safe way to get children to and from school and after-school activities. It links parents who are already making these trips – and able to ferry more children in their car – with parents in their community looking for a ride for their child.

Much like other ride-hailing apps, drivers and riders register the profiles in the app and the rider loads a credit card for easy payment. A portion of the fare goes to the school.

Driving parents can make a bit of extra income by charging for the ride. However, they will need to have a Professional Driving Permit (PDP) to benefit from a percentage of the fare. Driving parents who just want to lend a helping hand on their route, do not need to have a PDP.

Only registered parents at the same school or community will be part of the network. The service is only available to parents that use the app and have children at schools that use d6 Connect.

Covid-19 safety protocols will also be followed at all times and drivers and children must wear masks and sanitise before entering the vehicle.

Don’t forget the teachers 

Put together a care package for a teacher with some of the basics that will always come in handy. It could include items such as pens, pencils, notebooks, reams of paper, tape and paper clips. Include some self-care items such as sweet treats, hand sanitiser, hand lotion or even some coffee vouchers.