Dulux adds color to the SOS Children’s Village in Johannesburg, South Africa for Mandela Day

Inspired to make changes for life and take actions to make a difference, Dulux employees spent the day visiting the village and brightening up the homes with a fresh coat of paint. Let’s Colour has a big mission – transforming people’s lives, and in order to do so we have partnered with SOS Children’s Villages.

Change of life

“Having witnessed the love the late Nelson Mandela had for children, creating a warm environment that is conducive to childhood development for the SOS Children’s Villages was only fitting to celebrate Mandela’s memory”, said Nathalie Sweeney, Marketing Director for Dulux South Africa. The SOS Children’s Villages cares for children who have lost, or are at risk of losing parental care, by providing them with a home and the opportunity to build lasting relationships within a family. Changing children’s lives has never been easy, but we are here to give our best to help these young people.

“As Dulux, we understand the powerful, transformative effect of paint, and we wanted to contribute to the overall well-being of these children. Not only does color play an important role in the overall aesthetic of a space, but it can also influence one’s mood and mindset, and the correct colors can even stimulate childhood development,” Sweeney explained. Take a look at our social experiments and how colors affect our senses.

The Ennerdale village was the first of its kind to be established in the country in 1984 and is made up of 16 houses which form part of the family-based care model that the SOS Children’s Villages provides. It is one of eight villages throughout the country. In addition to painting the village in Ennerdale, Dulux also sponsored paint to the community-based program that the SOS Children’s Villages runs near their Rustenburg village.

“We are thankful to Dulux for spending their 67 minutes on Mandela Day with us. This support makes Dulux a real part of our day-to-day successes in providing a loving home for every child, and will ensure that SOS Children’s Villages continues to make an impact in the lives of the many children who are under our care,” said Stephen Miller, National Director for SOS Children’s Villages South Africa.

Changing children’s mindsets

Through the Dulux Let’s Colour initiative, Dulux aims to add color to the lives of children who need it most and to improve their surroundings in a small way in order to uplift their moods and change their mindsets. This will result in ripple effects through both educational and personal development for the children who will become tomorrow’s leaders. This is believed to start the action against poverty in South Africa this Mandela Day.

“Dulux is proud to contribute to this important initiative and to support the SOS Children’s Villages by providing children with a loving, comfortable and colorful home where they can grow and learn,” Sweeney concluded.

Let’s Colour is transforming lives for good for years now. We already had a chance to bring new colors to South Africa by painting a Theatre in District Six and reviving the Victory Theatre in Houghton, but we will certainly give our best to bring even more colors and changes in life for the South African people.

Find out more about Dulux in South Africa.