Engen, South Africa’s leading petroleum products and convenience company, has painted another 10 spaza shops in Engen-blue murals and paraffin safety messages this year, in an ongoing quest to raise awareness of this important issue in low income and rural areas.

The frescos decorating the spaza shops in Gauteng and the Western Cape are not unprecedented. Engen has painted a total of 26 others over the two years of the initiative, says Engen Group Brands Manager, Lesley McDonough.
                                               
Long-standing commitment
In fact, the company’s long-standing campaign to promote safety when using paraffin for cooking, heating, pouring and storage has manifested in very diverse Engen initiatives over the years, says Tasneem Sulaiman-Bray, Engen’s general manager, Corporate Affairs.

For instance, Engen is a long-time financial supporter of the burns unit of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, using its sports sponsorship platforms to raise funds.

Another prominent campaign, Engen KlevaKidz, was launched in 2008 to educate primary school children about paraffin safety in high-use areas. It is set to reach 90 000 learners across South Africa by 2016.

To support its spaza campaign, Engen further produces calendars with the same easy-to-understand safety tips and icons that appear on the murals.

Integrated efforts
The spaza initiative leverages the Engen KlevaKidz footprint, says McDonough.  “This is by design, obviously. We need to target high-use areas to increase the efficacy of the campaign.”

Explaining the link between Engen KlevaKidz’s primary school focus and the shopping audiences frequenting spazas, she says the company is aware of the disturbing fact that young school children are often the primary daytime caregivers of their younger brothers and sisters in impoverished areas.

“These kids often shop, cook and oversee other household duties until adult supervision resumes in the evening, so we feel it our duty to reinforce the message at every turn. The safety of our customers and communities comes first with Engen.”

Look out for paraffin safety tips on the Engen-blue walls in prominent places in Gauteng: Protea Glen, Katlehong, Duduza, Thokoza, Soshunguve, Mamelodi.  In Cape Town: Hout Bay and Phillippi.


For more information please contact Gavin Smith, Engen Group Communication Manager,
Gavin.Smith@engenoil.com   Tel: +27 21 403 4312   Cell: +27 82 379 1700