Recycling to give the gift of mobility

Here at KAL Group (KAL), we are serious about helping the environment and helping vulnerable community members.

We have partnered with the Sweethearts Foundation to reduce our carbon footprint and provide wheelchairs to those who need them most by recycling plastic bottle tops and giving them the gift of mobility.

Sweethearts Foundation provides wheelchairs to disadvantaged South Africans with disabilities through their Tops & Tags initiative, where plastic bottle tops and bread tags are recycled in exchange for wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are among the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility. Yet, thousands of South Africans remain bedridden or immobile and rely on family members to help them move around, or turn to unsafe and uncomfortable homemade alternatives.

Wheelchairs are among the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility. Yet, thousands of South Africans remain bedridden or immobile and rely on family members to help them move around, or turn to unsafe and uncomfortable homemade alternatives.

Since March 2023, employees from the KAL branches in Paarl as well as the corporate office and distribution centre, have been collecting plastic bottle tops in support of the project. Over 12,5kg of bottle tops have been sent for recycling after only two months. 

KAL’s CSI team contacted the Drakenstein Association for People with Disabilities (DAPD) to identify a suitable beneficiary for the first wheelchair that KAL has secured.

Marlene Smith is a soft-spoken and humble 67-year-old living in Paarl. She was working as a domestic worker when she suddenly became very ill in 2013. She was hospitalised for over 6 months and could no longer use her legs.

Getting by was a struggle. Without a wheelchair, Marlene crawled on the floor and used her hands to move around, and spent most of her days at home, relying on family members if she needed to go somewhere important.

KAL, Sweetheart’s Foundation and the DAPD recently invited Marlene and her family to have a cup of coffee at Agrimark Paarl to hand over and celebrate her new wheelchair.

“Auntie Marlene is always busy and isn’t one for sitting quietly,” said Carol Lee, Marlene’s niece. “She likes rolling up her sleeves to take care of us. She enjoys cooking and often surprises me by doing chores such as the laundry! We are very
grateful for the freedom she now has to move around.”

“When we became aware of Marlene’s situation, her story truly touched us,” says Anjeline Frans, Social Worker at DAPD. “Applicants for wheelchairs must endure a long waiting period before they are helped. Thanks to the generosity of KAL, she no longer has to wait, and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact the
wheelchair has on her well-being.”

“It’s hard to imagine what Marlene’s life is like, not able to do simple tasks we take for granted every day,” says Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, Director of Corporate Affairs at KAL. “We hope with her wheelchair, she will have greater independence to do the things she loves.”

KAL’s employees immediately embraced the cause and love to be personally involved in the initiative, confirms Tasneem.  

“Our teams feel they are directly contributing to our purpose of leaving community members, such as Marlene, better off thanks to our existence. We want to thank the Sweethearts Foundation for the opportunity to join their campaign and strive to show up as a trusted community partner and improve people’s lives wherever possible.”

Employees at participating branches are encouraged to continue to collect bottle tops at work and home so that more people can benefit from the gift of mobility.