With his name written into the history books, Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo turned his attention to helping students write their futures.
South Africa (09 June 2025) – BIC South Africa, in partnership with World record-holder and Paralympian champion Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo and the Good Things Guy team, donated 71,200 pens to students across the country during the month of June as part of the ‘Change Starts with One’ campaign.
Thanks to the nominations from all the Good Things Guy readers, who put their schools forward, BIC and Mpumi made 71,200 differences in South Africa to boost education. The request was simple: nominate a school you love to be a recipient of a donation of pens in 2025. The pens have now been donated to a total of 16 deserving schools, including a special visit by Mpumi to Love’s Trust School in Midrand to hand over their pens.
Speaking about the amazing campaign, Amy Whittam, Marketing Manager for BIC Stationery, shared why the partnership between BIC and Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo is such a meaningful one.
“Through our partnership, we continue to highlight that change starts with one. Mpumi reminds us every day of the power of setting ambitious goals and working towards achieving them. To celebrate the power of ‘one’ BIC will donate a total of 71,200 pens to students in need; one for every millimetre of Mpumi’s record-breaking jump at the Paralympic Games.
Each pen donated will be a reminder to a South Africa student of the power of change, representing a step towards a better education, self-expression, and boundless ambition.”
In an effort to address the high school dropout rate of 41% in South Africa, BIC initiated its stationery drive as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, “Together We Can Make a Difference.” Today, this drive goes beyond just ticking a box for the government, it’s making an impactful difference, ensuring students have the most basic tool for school, a pen to write with.
BIC’s partnership with Mpumi 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.
This was a phenomenal way to honour Mpumi’s 7.12m Men’s T44 long jump record, and it has made a BIC difference beyond that!
Sources: BIC
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