On the 15th of April 2025, BIC South Africa, in partnership with World record-holder and Paralympian champion Mpumelelo Mhlongo, donated over 3000 pens to students at Forest High School in Johannesburg.
The stationery drive forms part of BIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Together We Can Make a Difference. The programme aims to raise awareness around the alarmingly high school dropout rate of 41% in South Africa, as well as focuses on their commitment to provide students with the necessary resources they need during their learning journey. It also ties closely to their belief that change starts with one, and providing a student with a single pen could have a tremendous impact on their present and future.
Based on the finding that one of the main reasons for school dropouts is the lack of resources, BIC continues to provide students with the necessary writing tools to remain in school and calls on individuals and organisations to join the movement to provide students with the resources they need. BIC’s partnership with Mpumelelo Mhlongo is the most recent step the brand took in sparking further behavioural change within South Africa for South Africa, highlighting that Change Starts with One.
