Red Envelope, Africa’s leading experience company, recently set out to the Bakgatla Community to reveal a new Social Development project on behalf of Sync Communications’ client Ciro Alliances

The idea was to add value to the local community through an outreach programme. With this in mind, the Red Envelope Team set out to build an experience that had impact and was lasting, on both the community and Ciro Alliances’ staff. This project had a three fold purpose – to supply water, entertain the children and to sustain the community through self efficiency.

Research was conducted by the Red Envelope team into communities needing assistance with basic resources such as running water. After meeting with Chief Pilane, the Bakgatla community near Pilansberg was selected as the perfect area and the local primary school with 194 children was identified as the best place to sink a borehole. The school is supported by government funding of R1.04 per child per day for three days per week. 

Preparation for the event, all sponsored by Ciro Alliances, took three months and included the erection of a water-tower with the unique idea of using a merry-go-round to drive the pump (which has the capacity to pump up to 3600l per hour). Ground preparation also took place in readiness for the vegetable garden.

On arrival in Bakgatla on the chosen day, ninety five eager members of Ciro Alliances’ staff quickly got to work. Compost was laid, seeds were sown, and swings were constructed and painted for the playground. An exterior fence was erected to keep the goats from eating the crops which will provide food and nourishment for the local community.

‘Red Envelope is passionate about creating unique experiences, and there has been a growing need to provide experiences that have a strong impact on the community. We are very excited to be a part of initiatives like this as it ties in so well with what we do everyday’ says Steve Wilkens, Director, Red Envelope.