Container project comes of age

As Safmarine’s Containers-in-the- Community initiative celebrates its 21-year milestone, the line is continuing its support of containerbased projects that are positively impacting their communities. Through a partnership with fruit exporter Karsten Farms and Albert Hein Supermarkets in the Netherlands, decommissioned Safmarine containers have been ‘up-cycled’ into computer laboratories, classrooms/libraries and kitchens for rural schools in the Northern Cape and North West Province. The partnership with Karstens started in 2008 when containers were donated to build two computer labs. Today they have five container kitchens, 12 computer centres and ten libraries/classrooms, according to Maria Webster, Safmarine southern Africa’s PR, communications and CSR manager. Over the past 21 years Safmarine has donated more than 8000 decommissioned containers to more than 3000 projects, and while the majority of container projects are located in South Africa, the line has also opened education-based container projects in Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. CAPTION A decommissioned Safmarine container has been converted into a comfortable, airconditioned classroom for these children at Vredesvallei, who used to be taught under a tree.