In Hout Bay, 45 new desks were delivered to the learners of Ikhaya le Themba in Imizamo Yethu on Friday as part of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon #GOGREEN campaign.
Funded by the Two Oceans Marathon Initiative (TOMI), the unique desks were made from non-organic event waste collected during the marathon earlier this year.
Thirty of the donated green desks were funded by TOMI, with the remaining 15 coming from funds raised by Two Oceans Marathon runners who participated in 2017 to raise funds for Wildlands.
This is just the initial rollout, with more green desks on the way. Throughout South Africa, there is a shortage of approximately 300 000 school desks.
Ikhaya le Themba was chosen as the first recipient of the green desks thanks to Imizamo Yethu playing such a pivotal role in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.
The Hout Bay Rotary Club helped to establish an Imizamo Yethu marshalling team, with the race day crew now totalling 45 members. Initially, Ikhaya le Themba helped to establish the Imizamo Yethu marshalling team with the Hout Bay Rotary Club.
#GOGREEN was developed by Wildlands and is supported by Old Mutual. It aims to provide a practical solution for collecting, recycling and upcycling waste from athletes and spectators at endurance events, while educating them about responsible waste management.