Department of Basic Education (DBE) in collaboration with Woolworths celebrate the annual World School Milk Day (WSMD) at Masiphumelele Primary School in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The 2019 WSMD will be celebrated under the theme “Dairy gives you go”.  

The WSMD is an initiative of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) which started in 2000. It has become an annual event held in many countries throughout the world. DBE marked WSMD for the first time in 2016 and continues, through the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), to join other nations to mark this day.

The NSNP is the Department’s flagship programme which supports quality teaching and learning by providing daily cooked nutritious meals to 9.7 million learners nationwide in 21 274 public primary, secondary and special schools.

All learners had the opportunity to participate in the entertaining Woolworths Education Programme’s ‘Healthy Living’ class lesson that uses engaging interactive activities to teach the basics of healthy nutrition, including the South African Dietary-based Guidelines and highlighted the benefits of milk and the role that calcium plays in the body.   In partnership with the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA), the children were put through their paces along a six station health track that specifically focused on exercises that assist with bone strength and density.  From jumping jacks, mini soccer ball and skipping rope challenges to a hula-hooping marathon as well as fine tuning ‘catch and throw’ and running backwards, Masiphumelele’s learners experienced that a range of physical activities is not just good for you, but good fun too! 

All the sporting equipment used in the health track was donated to Masiphumelele Primary School so that the school can continue to enjoy the benefits of physical activity.

“We are very grateful to Masiphumelele Primary School and the Department of Education to give us the opportunity to create a day for the learners and their school community that makes a lasting difference,” says Pieter Twine, General Manager Woolworths Education Programme and MySchool MyVillage My Planet fundraising programme.  “We aimed to empower and inspire Masiphumelele Primary’s learners to adopt a healthier lifestyle with a focus on good nutrition and regular physical activity.”

Captions for pics sent wetransfer:

Learners warming up:

Grade 1 learners (front left right:  Asemahle Libalele, Linako Bhenyane and Image Mzamo) warming up with the Woolworths Education programme trainer before they started skipping.

Jumping with soccer ball:

Masiphumelele Primary Grade 3 learners doing bone strengthening jumps

Linako Grade 1 Learner stretching:

Grade 1 learner Linako Bhenyane getting ready to start on the 6 station health track that was focused on exercises that assist with bone strength and density in celebration of World School Milk Day.

Oyoama mastering the hoola hoop:

Grade 2 learner Oyoama Mangele mastering the hoola hoop

Skipping Grade 4 learners

Skipping is a fun activity that increases bone strength and density

Jumping with soccer ball:

Masiphumelele Primary Grade 3 learners doing bone strengthening jumps