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sustainabletimes
01732 759725
advertorial
Toshiba TEC UK Imaging Systems has
further demonstrated its commitment
to environmental responsibility
by helping its clients contribute to
schemes that will provide much
needed food preparation facilities for
two schools in Kenya.
Some of Toshiba TEC’s managed
services customers are already able to
lower their carbon footprints by using
multifunction products (MFPs) that form
part of Toshiba TEC’s pioneering Carbon
Zero scheme. This industry leading
initiative ensures that any CO
2
produced
during the manufacture and supply of its
MFPs is entirely offset through a range
of initiatives coordinated by co2balance,
the leading global carbon management
company.
‘As well as taking our own corporate
social responsibilities (CSR) seriously we
do all we can to help our partners and
customers fulfil their objectives in this
area,’ stated Jeremy Spencer, Toshiba
TEC’s marketing director. ‘In order to
extend our environmental leadership and
complement Carbon Zero, we were able
to provide our customers with CSR based
opportunities that will improve the lives
of those in some of the world’s poorest
regions.’
Toshiba has chosen to support an
initiative that builds food preparation and
cooking facilities in Kenyan schools, the
first two being Buguta Primary School in
Taita-Taveta District, north of Mombasa,
and Muhaka Secondary School in
Msambweni District of the Coast Province.
Buguta Primary School has around
1,000 pupils and despite its high head
count the overall academic performance
of its students is very impressive. Most
of the pupils come from surrounding
villages, often up to 10km away, and
having to walk to and from school every
weekday is a significant challenge. The
previous food preparation facilities on site
were extremely basic and some pupils
went home for lunch and did not return.
Teaching staff also discovered that some
of the pupils even went without food
once at home.
To positively address this issue parents,
together with the Buguta Primary School
committee, came up with the idea of a
Hungry for an Education
feeding programme, which necessitated
the building of a new school cookhouse.
Work is now underway and when it is
fully operational it will help keep pupils in
school during lunchtime, thereby ensuring
that they get the best education possible.
The facilities will also be environmentally
friendly as they will reduce the amount
of firewood used for cooking, with the
additional benefits of lowering the time
spent collecting fuel and saving trees.
Furthermore, it will reduce the overall
cost of the feeding programme, which will
have a positive impact on the number of
children that can be taught.
Faced with similar problems, Muhaka
Secondary School is also set to benefit
from new cooking facilities. As a relatively
new facility it is the only secondary
school within a 5km radius and has a
population of 35 students – a figure that
is likely to triple in the next academic
year. Therefore, ensuring its pupils are
able to receive adequate sustenance
during the school day is of paramount
importance both in terms of keeping
them on the premises and providing a
decent standard of nutrition.
Although the cost of food is
incorporated into the students’ fee
structure, funds were not available to
support the construction of a much-
needed cookhouse and stoves. However,
thanks to the Toshiba project a new food
preparation facility is being constructed
that will ensure that the feeding
programme is a success, and it will also
have the potential to serve the local
primary school. In addition, the school has
initiated a home growing food scheme
that will allow it to become completely
self-sufficient in the provision of basic
foodstuffs such as maize and beans.
Toshiba TEC’s Jeremy Spencer,
concluded, ‘The benefits that Buguta
Primary School and Muhaka Secondary
School will experience from the scheme
cannot be overstated, and we are proud
to have played a part in making it happen.
Environmental initiatives and CSR
programmes continue to be of significant
interest to all businesses and we look
forward to helping our other clients
achieve similar objectives.’
Toshiba TEC joins forces with customers to
build new cookhouses in African schools
For more information call us on
01932 580135
or visit:
www.toshibatec.co.uk
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@ToshibaTEC_UK