The Bookshelf Project’s Chris Dykes handed over a bookshelf with over 700 books to the Mandeville Crisis Centre in Durban Deep on Youth Day. The children of the community helped unload the books from the vehicle, sorted them and then packed the bookshelf themselves in time for the handover event. They were so excited to receive these books that reading began well before the books were packed onto the shelves.
The Mandeville Centre provides support to the Durban Deep community by running educational (including computer literacy), vocational and social programmes, helping individuals, families and the community deal with the challenges and traumas of life on the economic edge. They have a great need for computers to grow their computer skills training programme and to empower the youth getting ready for the workplace.
The centre has a Reference Library, but is was poorly stocked, so Bridget Mokhetle, a Durban Deep resident, brought the shortage to the attention of members of the Bookshelf Project team. This resulted in Chris Dykes presenting the centre with its very own bookshelf filled with books that will “inspire a love of reading in children”. The books cater for children of all ages, and the centre will manage the bookshelf to ensure that the books are put to good use. Having the children take ownership of the storage, care and use of the books is important, as it will encourage reading by creating curiosity about the books.
The Bookshelf Project sources its books from all over South Africa as well as overseas. Funding is obtained from the corporate sector to sponsor the bookshelves while privileged schools are approached to mobilise book collections. “Books can change children’s lives by sparking their imagination and growing their vocabulary. This all lends itself to helping a child thrive at school through efficient reading.” says Dykes.
The Bookshelf Project team sorts the books, builds the bookshelves and donates bookshelves to organisations like the Mandeville Crisis Centre, primary and secondary schools and other organisations that are passionate about elevating the levels of literacy in youth. The Durban Deep donation was also given a much needed boost by Averille Botha from the Charity Shop in Florida, for which the centre is most grateful.
“She is an indispensable partner in our endeavour to ensure that books end up in the hands of young people who do not ordinarily have access to books.” says Dykes.
Article by Julie Botha
