March 2023 - The SASKO Siyasizana community initiative has launched the 'Play Better' campaign which aims to build, restore and upgrade 1000 playgrounds throughout Mzansi from 2023 until 2024. Through the power of positive play, the campaign is targeting early childhood development (ECD) and foundation phase age group children with a strong anti-bullying message by promoting active and positive play.

SASKO has been at the centre of communities since 1930, and the SASKO Siyasizana initiative has always focused on building a solid foundation for our nation's children. Siyasizana, which means 'we are helping each other' previously provided pre-primary and primary school children with reading books and educational material. This latest project aims to build on this legacy by promoting social skills development.

The Play Better campaign forms part of SASKO's "people who care make things better" brand repositioning which launched last year. The initiative is on a mission to rollout 100 playgrounds in phase 1 through a consumer call to action of nominating a school of their choice that they believe deserves a playground upgrade. The winning schools will be provided playground upgrades to the value of R10 000 each. The second phase of the campaign will then roll out a remainder of playground upgrades across day cares and primary schools through a recycling mechanic. Schools will be invited to collect a stipulated number of SASKO bread bags to qualify to be in the running for a playground upgrade.

The LEGO Playwell Report 2022 reveals that the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of developmental, and social play at an early age can help to reduce the prevalence and impact of bullying by allowing children to develop life skills to manage future interactions.

"As a brand, Care is at the core of our DNA, it is our purpose, our goal is to put our Care into action through the SASKO Siyasizana mission. By upgrading 1000 playgrounds in day cares and primary schools in South Africa, we intend to raise awareness of the importance of positive play for the children in our communities and the impact it can have on their development" says Martin Neethling, PepsiCo South Africa Chief Marketing Officer.

The campaign will be executed through a 360 multi-channel approach leveraging television, digital, radio, print, and instore platforms says Nomawethu Ngadlela, Pepsico South Africa Marketing Manager. "Make sure that your local primary school or day care stands a chance to get a playground upgrade. Simply, buy SASKO bread or buns & rolls, scan the QR code or Whatsapp and follow the prompts to nominate your school".

"We are also partnering with influential public figures and subject-matter experts to not only maximise the reach of this campaign, but to also tackle the issue we're trying to address through lasting professional advice" Neethling says.

Follow SASKO's social media pages for more information about this exciting campaign.