The FESPA Foundation and Messe Frankfurt visited Madisei Primary School in Polokwane for a two week Print for Good outreach, from 2-12 February. They aimed to create a brighter future through education by renovating and furnishing a library, transforming classrooms and donating art supplies.

The Messe Frankfurt South Africa, a trade fair, congress and events organiser, initiated a pilot project at the Madisei Primary School as part of the FESPA Foundation’s Adopt a School programme, which connects corporate partners with schools in need.

While the Foundation’s Print for Good initiative provides printed educational materials, Adopt a School goes one step further by building partnerships to tackle urgent needs like safe classrooms, reliable infrastructure, working libraries and food security.

The Messe Frankfurt South Africa, in partnership with the FESPA Foundation team, handed over some of the generously donated books, opening the door to imagination, learning and opportunity for every learner. The Foundation requests donations of more books for the refurbished library from anyone who is willing to help. The school library will also be open to the entire community once the project completed. Classrooms were also transformed with fresh paint and new tiling, creating a more welcoming and inspiring environment for students and teachers.

Fabio Palma, Group Creative Director at Messe Frankfurt and Steve Thobela ka Mdlalose, Executive Director at FESPA Foundation.

‘To be able to share some of our experience with the rest of the beautiful children that we met is super amazing,’ commented Jessica Nhleko, Outbound Sales Manager at Messe Frankfurt South Africa.

‘We had the honour and privilege of hosting Messe Frankfurt as the company that has adopted one of our schools under our Adopt a School programme. We are delighted at what has been achieved at the school under this programme, and thank them. We would like to invite other exhibition companies over and above the companies in the printing industry to join us and adopt a school, or adopt a building of a classroom at a particular school, and help us enrich the lives of those who are less privileged,’ said Steve Thobela ka Mdlalose, Executive Director at The FESPA Foundation.

‘We believe that the lives of these students will change and that they will be given a better learning experience,’ said Peter Sekolong, Principal of Madisei Primary School.

The FESPA Foundation’s partnership with Messe Frankfurt South Africa is part of an initiative to inspire more exhibition companies to donate excess supplies and printed materials from their events and expos to the FESPA Foundation’s supported and adopted schools.

Exhibition companies are often left with excess products and materials after shows. The donation of excess exhibition show products from the print, beauty, consumer goods and technology industries could expand the campaign from just ‘Print for Good’ to ‘Beauty for Good,’ ‘Art for Good,’ and ‘Tech for Good’ etc.

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://www.fespa.com/

FESPA, Durst Group, Midcomp and Practical Publishing attended the launch of a school support initiative at Malekapane Primary School in Limpopo on Monday, 19 January 2026. Representatives of Durst and Midcomp had the opportunity to see how their support for the FESPA Foundation’s ‘Adopt a School’ and ‘Print For Good’ initiatives have benefitted the school.

Christoph Gamper, CEO at Durst Group, Christian Harder, Chief Sales Officer at Durst Group, and Rob Makinson, CEO at Midcomp, joined Neil Felton, CEO at FESPA and Steve Thobela ka Mdlalose, FESPA Foundation’s Africa Coordinator, at Malekapane Primary School to break ground on building projects, planting trees and evaluating what learning materials are needed in the classrooms.

Practical Publishing participated in the day and also assists the foundation with printed matter, donated shirts and does all the artwork needed for print for this school. ‘Practical Publishing is proud to be associated with the FESPA Foundation as one of the founding partners and sponsors of their activities,’ said Dyelan Copeland, Director at Practical Publishing. ‘We get involved with all their projects in South Africa both with sponsoring items that are needed and with design and compilation of printed education collateral used at the schools. As a media partner we have been on the ground visiting a few schools to assist with whats needed where possible. Well done to Durst in adopting Malakapane School and to the FESPA Foundation especially Neil Felton and Steve Thobela and teams for their courageous work.’

The FESPA Foundation’s Adopt a School programme connects corporate print partners with schools in need. While the Foundation’s ‘Print for Good’ initiative provides printed educational materials, Adopt a School goes one step further by building partnerships to tackle urgent needs like safe classrooms, reliable infrastructure, working libraries and food security.

Durst and Midcomp representatives got the chance to see the work already completed on the school, such as the new ceilings that have been fitted in the classrooms. While on a tour of the school, they also got to scope out which printed educational materials could be produced to decorate the classrooms and arm students for greater learning. The representatives also met with the heads of the school to discuss other potential projects that will increase the quality of life for the students.

Malekapane Primary School hosted a special assembly for the event, bringing together community leadership, members of the local municipality, parents, teachers and students to show their gratitude towards the FESPA Foundation and its school sponsors.

Durst was the first to join the FESPA Foundations ‘Adopt A School’ initiative by sponsoring Malekapane Primary School. Through the help of their sole distributor for Durst Group AG printing technology in South Africa, Midcomp, Durst seeks to support the school even further.

FESPA FOUNDATION
www.fespa.com/en/about/fespa-foundation/

DURST GROUP
www.durst-group.com

MIDCOMP
midcomp.co.za