Stationery brand BIC has announced that it has concluded a partnership with South African Paralympian Mpumelelo Mhlongo, in the run-up to the Paris Games.
According to BIC, the partnership draws from the similarities between the athlete’s inspirational story and BIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, ‘Together We Can Write the Future’. The program aims to raise awareness around the high school dropout rate of 41% in South Africa, focusing on the importance of providing students with the necessary resources to help them stay in school.
Mhlongo was born with a congenital deformity, constriction ring syndrome, and club foot, but has gone on to build a successful athletics career, winning silver and bronze at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in the T44 men’s 100 metres and long jump events, and setting new world records at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
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Mhlongo pursued his chemical engineering studies at the University of Cape Town and is currently studying for his doctorate in the conversion of plastic waste into energy.
“Mhlongo’s story is inspiring. It is a reason to believe that you can thrive in any environment if the right resources are attainable. As a brand committed to education, we believe that change starts with ‘one’. An individual that believes in you, a teacher that supports you, an organization that funds you, a parent that encourages you. Our nation-wide initiative Buy a Pen Donate a Pen and our partnership with Mhlongo are a testament to that,” said Lilian Henderson, Director of Marketing Southern and East Africa at BIC.
Through Buy a Pen Donate a Pen, BIC has donated over 15 million writing tools to students in need since 2012. This year, the company aims to reach a total of one million donations, encouraging consumers to make a difference for every pen they purchase. Students receive donations through BIC’s annual roadshows that take place from March to June of every year.
“As a South African child who needed a cheerleader, I understand the difference that the support of a community can make,” said Mhlongo. “Someone took a chance on me and that completely changed the course of my life. My partnership embodies my experience. I would love to be for our children today, the person I needed to have as a child, and I am touched to collaborate with brands that understand the meaning of that to the future of our society. I look forward to this collaboration and to visiting students at the various school activations led by BIC.”
BIC says it is committed to improving learning conditions for 250 million students by the year 2025 and believes its partnership with Mhlongo is the most recent step in that journey.