Denis Hurley Centre’s bookseller project applauded
The Booksellers of Mzansi project was recognised at the Durban Book Fair held at the recent Green Diwali Festival.
THE Denis Hurley Centre’s (DHC) innovative street bookseller project Booksellers of Mzansi, was the only KZN finalist and came in the top six nominees out of 2 000 applicants nationwide, at the SAB Foundation Awards recently.
This astonishing achievement was applauded at the Durban Book Fair at the recent Green Diwali Festival. A total of R13 650 000 in funding was awarded to 20 finalists at the Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards 2019 in Johannesburg, and the project walked away with awards worth R400 000.
The project was birthed out of relationships made at the Durban Book Fair by Kiru Naidoo and Anivesh Singh.
At the Green Diwali Festival, Naidoo and Singh publicly acknowledged and applauded the team behind the project and allowed the sellers a few minutes each to talk about their role and experiences.
The project has enabled 10 formerly homeless people to become entrepreneurs selling second had books at events, malls, places of worship and literally on the streets of the city. The goal is to train and empower 100 sellers.
This project simultaneously provides work for unemployed people and enables people to buy and read books in an accessible and affordable way.
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In order for this project to be fully realised, additional funding will be required, so this generous grant has sparked an awareness-creating campaign and fund-raising drive. The centre intends to run a competition to find the most innovative ways to modify shopping trolleys to become portable pop-up book stands.
They will also need to purchase a vehicle to transport vendors and books.
“We are thrilled that SAB has recognised that this is a uniquely successful way to help homeless people to become financially independent, The R400 000 award goes a long way to help us reach our goal of 100 homeless booksellers. We are hoping that the Durban business community will match this amount so we can really make this project fly!” said DHC director, Raymond Perrier.
The centre can access an almost unlimited supply of high-quality second-hand books. There are places to trade, people desperate to sell, and public are eager to buy. Durban has been created a city of literature by UNESCO, but almost 60 per cent of South Africans don’t have a book in their home. This project addresses these opportunities and can transform a beggar into an entrepreneur.
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