They were given books and they were given shelves. But they didn’t have the people they needed to run this little library overlooking Makana's Kop.
Archie Mbolekwa Primary School, in Joza, needed help to upgrade key resources at the school, so at the beginning of last year, Friends of the Library and Gadra organised books and shelves to establish a library there.
The big problem, though, was to find someone willing and able to code and shelf the books, as well as to run the library on a full time basis.
They were given books and they were given shelves. But they didn’t have the people they needed to run this little library overlooking Makana's Kop.
Archie Mbolekwa Primary School, in Joza, needed help to upgrade key resources at the school, so at the beginning of last year, Friends of the Library and Gadra organised books and shelves to establish a library there.
The big problem, though, was to find someone willing and able to code and shelf the books, as well as to run the library on a full time basis.
The community engagement representative from a Christian society at Rhodes, called His People, Katlego Serai, came up with a solution.
Members of the society were already helping the children at the school with English and she taught them to catalogue books.
They have now been shelving and coding books for two years. “We want to make learning fun,” said Serai.
She explained that instead of coming to the school and teaching the children the same things they had been taught in class, they would use the library as a creative way of getting literacy and writing skills across to the children.
Serai said that the school had not been very supportive of the society’s initiative – the teachers in charge of the library had not always been available when the children wanted to use it – which had made progress towards launching a fully functional library very difficult. “It has been very challenging,” said Serai.
She said they were hoping to launch the library in October, but that there were still a few things needed, such as educational posters, beanbags for the children to sit on, and a desk. To make donations, please contact His People Society at 046 622 3426.
