Library helps underprivileged children
Westonaria Library feel more than anything else it is thei duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country.
According to Jen Drake, Public and Community Libraries should be looking at helping underprivileged people when striving to address community needs or enhancing the reader experience.
Reflecting on these words, Righardt le Roux, Program Librarian at Westonaria Library, feels more than anything else it is his duty to worry about everybody and their lives in this country, especially our children, and to try and find ways to improve things through my network of friends if I possibly can.
Over the past couple of years Westonaria Library forged strong relationships with various stakeholders, the local WAU branch being one of them.
The world is full of children in need and while driving to the LIASA 2013 conference I listened in on a radio interview with Juanita van Zyl, Centre Manager of Shalom Children’s Village in Heidelberg, Gauteng.
“It was really heartbreaking to hear how this lady is working in her community to restore abandoned children’s sense of self worth and overcome obstacles,”says Righardt,
“Her wish to ensure that each child at least got a birthday cake on his / her birthday touched me greatly as this is something most of us take as a given. I immediately called on my good friend Bea Greyling, Chairperson of the (Women’s Agricultural Union (WAU) in Westonaria and said we need to do something. Not just as a once off but ensuring a sustainable program through 2014.”
Bea got buy in from the WAU branch in Heidelberg through Nelda de Wet and as a grand end to Federal Children’s Month a big birthday party was hosted for 40 plus children at Shalom Children’s Village as this project is part of the WAU’s We Care community service.
Talking during the event and expressing her gratitude to ensure a fun filled day at Shalom Children’s Village Juanita said: “To be part of an orphan or a special child’s life and people in need is a privilege. They build up and fill up my life with the simple things and remind me to be humble and go on my knees daily, they let me have true joy and be grateful for what I have. Many of the children grew up in front of my eyes and are now young adults.”
Apart from presents for the three children who celebrated their birthdays in November, there was cake, pizza, cold drinks, cupcakes, snack boxes, toys and books for all the children attending the program. Some of the books were donated by UJ Campus Librarian and Children’s Literacy Advocate Julia Paris and her group Ladies in Aid of Children’s Literacy.
Through the UKS Helping Hands Trust LIS Westonaria was also in a position to donate maize for one month to the village to ensure the children have something to eat for breakfast.
“Visiting the village I was faced by the kind of abandonment most of us don’t see unless you are faced with a child who was thrown into a fire because his mother didn’t want him and it was wonderful to see these children’s eyes lighting up because we took the time to care but it is not enough to simply care, it is about physical intervention. We need to strive to be responsible and actively work to reduce poverty and impact positively on the socio economic circumstances of our communities,” says Righardt.
Speaking about the intervention Nelda de Wit from the WAU Heidelberg branch had the following to said: “I was pleasantly surprised and this was an eye opener for me as to the work Juanita and her team is doing there. I was amiably surprised by the motivational speech delivered by Refilwe Tlali, grade 11 pupil from Westonaria High School and especially in how she encouraged the children from Shalom to take charge of their own lives and not be imprisoned by their past.”
She said that they Heidelberg branch deems it a great privilege to become part of this project launched by Westonaria and to bring joy to children during 2014.
