A classroom at Ebony Park Primary School was turned into a resourceful library with lots of books for the learners to borrow.
Standard Bank Corporate Social Investment and their employees who are part of the company’s volunteer programme, RAK Events, Gauteng Department of Education (who chooses schools in need of libraries) along with the Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation Department (who provides the books for the school libraries) partnered up in 2018 to give life to a programme which saw employees get their hands dirty and doing it all themselves – they built furniture and bookshelves, painted the classroom and turning it into a proper library where learners would be able to enjoy reading, comfortably.
According to RAK Events, their aim is to cultivate a love of reading among the learners in the foundation phase with the aim of improving the level of literacy in the early grades.
To make the dream come alive, Julie-Ann Lategan who is part of RAK Events said they decided to pull out all the old books, repaint the library, fix all the old shelving and instal new shelving, supply new books, make tyre chairs from old tyres, make chairs with pallets and cushions for the reading corner so the library looks fun and encouraging for the kids to read books.
refurbished library of the Ebony Park Primary School. Photo: Ofentse Ditlopo
One of Standard Bank’s employees, Thabani Ndwandwe, who also heads the credit division of both personal and business banking, said that to make the project a success, their employees’ volunteer programme puts together money and the Standard Bank matches it which then allows them to grow the library and also buy uniforms for the learners.
After the revamp, Maurine Selowa, the school principal of Ebony Park Primary, said that she was amazed at the work put into the library.
“It is so beautiful. I’m sure my learners are going to enjoy reading the books in there, most of them are going to spend most of their time in the library.
“I really appreciate everyone who made this possible, taking time to come and arrange the library for us because, had they just given us the books, maybe we would’ve not even had time to arrange them the way they did because the library looks so bright, children will love being in there.
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