Gazebo Funk Club, in short, is an initiative to teach people to see reading as a lifestyle and not an event.
Jim Savvy and his team visit various schools and libraries to discuss the importance of reading, and help people to read by sharing story booklets.
A conversation is held every Wednesday at the public library in Mbombela, where people get the opportunity to share their stories.
These are then put together and used to write an anthology.
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The conversation held on Wednesday’s inspired the likes of student Katlego Maphakela (24) to launch her own project: “Empowering a girl child”.
She said attending the conversation has helped her to build confidence and to learn how to be consistent and dedicated to her dreams and vision.
Shermira Padayatchi (23), a student who joined the conversation for the first time, said she joined to be around other book lovers.
Elvis Khoza, senior librarian at Nelspruit Library, said the impact of the Gazebo Funk Club was keenly felt in the community. “They are encouraging the culture of reading and improving the level of literacy in the community. They need support to be able to reach more communities.”
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Savvy said they planned to start hosting debate events this year. “The world is moving forward at the speed of technology. We need to keep up.”
They hold a street club on Brown Street every Friday, where they collect and give books to interested readers.
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For more information, visit them on gazebofunkclub.business.site.
