Engen takes the fight for paraffin safety to the shops

Long-standing commitment

Lesley McDonough, Engen Group brand manager says the company has a long-standing commitment to creating and raising awareness about the safe use, storage and handling of paraffin.

Engen also produces calendars with the same easy-to-understand safety tips and icons that appear on spaza shop murals. The campaign further ties in with the KlevaKidz, campaign - a travelling industrial theatre show that will be visiting 300 schools in rural and peri-urban areas in the next three years - to spread the paraffin safety message.

The Engen's KlevaKidz edutainment campaign, which was launched five years ago, has in the last three years reached more than 79,000 learners in 190 schools. The campaign reaches areas where the household use of paraffin is widespread and paraffin-related accidents are common. In the next three years the campaign is set to reach 90,000 learners aged nine to 13 years old.

"Over the years of involvement we have become aware that children of this age are often the primary daytime caregivers of their younger brothers and sisters. It is with this in mind that that we target them with the message," says Khanyisa Balfour, group CSI manager of Engen.

"The safety of our customers and their communities comes first with Engen, so we need to ensure that they understand how to use paraffin safely, when cooking, lighting and heating."

Look out for your safety tips on Engen-blue walls in prominent places in Stellenbosch, Paarl, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Hout Bay, Butterworth, Idutywa, Mthatha, Kokstad, Matatiele, Secunda, Daveyton, Kathlehong, Marabastad, Hammanskraal, Hebron, Mobopane, Soshanguve, QwaQwa, Bothabelo and Thaba 'Nchu.