In support of education and community development, Caxton Local Media’s Germiston City News and Boksburg Advertiser recently donated a container library to the underserved Rondebult Primary School. This is to promote reading and literacy.
The project enjoys the support of Spark Media and Signs of Positivity SA.
The beautifully painted new learning facility, with windows, carpet tiles and electrical wiring, boasts vibrant painted murals, and fully fitted bookshelves and desks.
And, of course, the converted container is stocked with a selection of colourful children’s books.
This initiative was achieved through the work and support of other role players who provided their products and services.
They are Thami Xala Foundation, Intamarket Graphics, Graphic Solutions, Vantage Digital, MG Auto Paints, Wonder Flooring, Chartzon Projectz and Whack Art and Design.
During the grand opening of the facility on August 26, both the learners and the staff were filled with gratitude as they received significant educational resources. They welcomed the donation with lots of singing, dancing, reading and heartfelt thank-you speeches.
The school has been without a library for many years due to having to convert its library into a classroom to meet the growing demand.
To make matters worse, the areas where most of their learners live have no community libraries.
Fulfilling a desperate need
The head of marketing at Spark Media, Jacqui Hansen, said given that the school did not have a library, the recently donated educational resources will provide a real impetus towards the cause of promoting reading and literacy among the children, most of whom come from underprivileged communities.
Hansen pointed out that converting the shipping container into a library was the brainchild of their consultant, Real Simple Marketing’s Susan Moffett.
She proposed that they consider helping the children gain access to a library to promote reading and help the little ones improve their learning and education literacy.
This is where this container library started, and this school was then considered as a home for the project, after identifying the need.
“We are all about reading in the newspaper business, whether it’s online or offline in print,” said Hansen.
“Donations of previously loved books came in for the project, which we brought here today. We believe that by empowering children and encouraging early learning literacy, our country will be a better place with an educated nation.
“We are community local papers and if we can have strong community leaders and strong communities then we will have strong local community papers as well.
“This is the first container library that we have done,” she said.
“Transforming shipping containers into libraries is something that they can see whether we can implement going into other schools, but we are currently focusing on filling this container with more library books.”
Adopted
Karen Watts, branch champion of Caxton East Rand, said in addition to the donation of the container library, Caxton Local Media aims to continue its support for the school.
“Our commitment to support the school extends beyond the container library. We decided to adopt the school, and we are going to do whatever we can to assist the school to achieve their goals.
“For things they need to educate children and better improve the school, we are on board with whatever we can do with whatever resources we have to assist the school.”
Moving in the right direction
Deputy principal Godfrey Mkhwanazi described the donation as a big step towards an improved future for learner performance in literacy, saying they (the school) feel very honoured to receive the donated library, and he on behalf of the school thanked everyone involved in making this happen.
“We are very excited. Our school is situated in an impoverished community whereby for some of the learners, including those in Grade Seven, this would be their very first time to visit a library – which is very unfortunate.
“Yes, our school needs many things. Some of the infrastructure is collapsing, but this library is the start of good things that are to happen to our school.
“We appreciate it and we are so blessed. We hope and believe that many more good things will come for this community and our learners. Thank you very much to our sponsors and may God bless you abundantly.”
Choose right
Signs of Positivity founder, Reg Pakari, asked learners to make good use of the new facility, discover the joy of reading, learn and come up with new ideas and figure out how to solve problems in their community.
“It all starts now. Just fill your mind with knowledge. Don’t get caught up in some of the negative stuff happening out there. You always have a choice. Choose positively.”
Pakari also thanked the teachers for doing their best to beat the odds in developing future leaders.
Signs of Positivity is a social transformation agency on a mission to inspire change.
Thank you for your support
In his closing remarks, the founder of Thami Xala Foundation, Thami Xala, also urged the youngsters to put the donated facility to good use and thanked all those involved in making the project a success.
The Rondebult-based foundation has been very instrumental in bringing about support to the school, such that the school is even referring to it as its ‘life partner’.
International Literacy Day
The donation came about two weeks before International Literacy Day (ILD) on September 8.
This year, the day will be celebrated under the theme: ‘Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace’.
For over 55 years now, ILD has been serving as a day of observance that highlights the importance of literacy for all people.
It is also aimed at fostering literacy initiatives, serving as a powerful reminder that literacy is a fundamental human right for all and the foundation of all learning.
Donations
The Boksburg Advertiser and Germiston City News are calling on local and international companies and organisations to support the school in any way they can.
If your institution or organisation has surplus children’s books it could donate, please contact the Boksburg Advertiser on 010 971 3300.
Click on this link to see all the work that went into this project:
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