Illiteracy is one of South Africa’s most serious problems, one that can be solved simply by donating books to those who need them. The Read Educational Trust is a non-governmental organisation that works alongside the Department of Education and operates around the country.
So why exactly did they decide to set up shop in Caxton? Thembi Mtiya, who works for Eclipse PR and helps the Trust with their pop-up libraries explained. “Seeing that we give these books out for free, we end up not having good books to give out.
“So we thought, writers are readers, so let’s go to a media house where people write for a living.” The team arrived with smiles on their faces and an empty bookshelf that they’re hoping to fill with a wide selection of books.
“We know that learner’s levels of literacy are low, so in our quest to meet the teachers and principals halfway, we do pop-up libraries. We go to malls and we encourage everybody, from the youngest to the oldest, to read,” added Trust team member, Lindiwe Mthewmbu.
The idea behind the pop-up libraries is to help young and old raise their reading level and learn to enjoy the escape that comes with a good book. “It may not necessarily be a textbook, we’ve got a range of books that we encourage people to read from, magazines to newspapers, to fiction and non-fiction,” Mthewmbu added.
Trust ambassador, Thato Tholo, spilled the beans on what he enjoyed the most about working with the organisation. “We want people to express themselves in indigenous languages, so we’re all about encouraging young kids because they are the future,” he said.
“I suppose that if you’re able to express yourself as a young person, you’re able to go far, you’re able to state your case and say ‘this is what’s happening, this is what I stand for and this is me, as an individual’.”
Details: www.read.org.za
If you have any unwanted books that you would like to donate to Read Educational Trust, drop them off at the newspaper department of Caxton House located at 368 Jan Smuts Avenue, Craighall.
