_{BASF South Africa partners with The Pink Forum this Mandela Day to bring colour to the world of the children of Kanana, Tembisa.}

• BASF South Africa partners with the Pink Forum Foundation to paint five childrens libraries at Kanana informal settlement.
• The Pink Forum is a youth-centered organisation currently operating in Tembisa and Kempton Park in Gauteng Province.

Johannesburg Gauteng, South Africa, 18 July 2022 – BASF in collaboration with The Pink Forum and Plascon join forces to renovate and equip five (5) children’s libraries in Kanana informal settlement by painting and equipping these centers with tile flooring, donating stationery and books to equip the children’s facilities. These Children’s libraries established in Early Childhood Development Centers will be the first of their kind in this community.

The Pink Forum runs a number of established projects that are aimed at responding to the socio-economic challenges that confront young people living in disadvantaged communities.

 “We are thrilled to be involved in this project of upgrading Children’s libraries in Kanana informal settlement as part of our Mandela Day contribution.  What better way to honour this day than to contribute towards education.  It was Madiba who said, “ Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.   Reading, especially from an early age, ignites creativity and creates knowledge besides developing a host of other life skills.  We are also excited that we are doing this together with our customer Plascon Paints and the NPO Pink Forum.”   said Kumarasen Govender, Head of Sales, Dispersions and Resin at BASF.

The Pink Forum is an NPO that aims to help young people living in disadvantaged communities to overcome the hurdles of the lack of resources and infrastructure in schools as well as socioeconomic challenges. “It is important that children living in disadvantaged communities particularly in informal settlements have safer spaces to play and learn, this initiative comes at a time where women and children fall victim to many social ills, such as gender-based violence and lack of recreational facilities. Establishing the libraries in early childhood development centers will assist the children and the community in ensuring safe access to such facilities.

These libraries will create a culture of reading and broaden their horizon like Nelson Mandela said, “when we read, we are able to travel to many places, meet many people and understand the world”, said Mandisa Jiyane of The Pink Forum Foundation.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111.000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About The Pink Forum

The Pink Forum is a youth-centered organization currently operating in Tembisa and Kempton Park in Gauteng Province. The organization runs a number of established projects that are aimed at responding to the socio-economic challenges that confront young people living in disadvantaged communities. These projects are geared towards uplifting and providing varied forms of assistance to young people. The work is also informed by an aim of becoming a catalyst and safe space wherein creativity and innovation can be fostered. Programs that make up the work of The Pink Forum include identifying families and individuals in need and, by amassing the support of various stakeholders, offer whatever assistance is needed and available. The organization seeks to do this by implementing a set of programs each of which is aimed at providing different services and types of support to women, youth & children living in disadvantaged communities.