36th and 37th Mandela Day container libraries are launched in Limpopo

Learners at two rural Limpopo schools have been given the gift of 36th and 37th Mandela Day container libraries, provided by Breadline Africa and sponsored by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

Joyous celebrations on Wednesday, 19 February 2014 marked the launch of the 36th Mandela Day library, at Moime Primary School, south-east of Tzaneen.

The sponsoring organisation, GIA, is an NGO that provides education in the field of gems and minerals. Beyond the provision of a library, GIA staff donated books to the project and selected 20 learners between the ages of 13 and 15 years to participate in a junior gemology programme.

Serving approximately 300 learners from Grades R to 7, the principal and teachers of Moime Primary School have proved to be a beacon of hope in their community.

Out of 136 villages in the region, only five are making a contribution to the economy, which is an indication of a serious lack in education. It was therefore not surprising that the launch received the enthusiastic support that it did.

The programme included representatives from local and provincial government, the school governing body and tribal authorities, as well as retired principals and teachers, each of whom understood the weight of the invested resource for a community such as this.

The themes coming through in the speeches were those of grace and gratitude, but also the significance of partnerships. In 2012, Tsepiso Makwetla a South African journalist who would later become MTN Woman of the Year, decided to invest 67 minutes of her time serving Moime Primary School.

It was the start of a two-year relationship with the school, and one of many needs she has been able to meet by bringing the right partners together, is the library. It also received R50 000 worth of books, bought with part of the prize money she received as MTN Woman of the Year.

District-level education officials have committed to supporting the library and the school, as Moime Primary is now the only school in the entire district with a library.

Starting with approximately 1 400 books, the investment is off to a great start. Additionally, Breadline Africa strategic partner Soul Buddyz will be extending funds to reinstate life skills and literacy programmatic work at the school.

The next day, 20 February, the 37th Mandela Day container library was opened at Refentse Primary School, situated in the heart of the Namakgale district, near Phalaborwa.

Refentse Primary is a school with just over 800 learners, but it seriously lacks infrastructure – over 100 learners are crammed into each classroom.

Understanding the dire need for improvements in literacy, the school partnered with literacy development organisation Room to Read. As a result the principal has received acknowledgement from feeder high schools about Refentse Primary students’ competency in English.

The launch of the 37th Mandela Day container library was significant for GIA, as one of its recently passed directors had always wanted to work with Room to Read. Bev Hori, chief educational officer at GIA, delighted in the knowledge that this project had made his lifelong wish a reality.

The Mandela Day Libraries Project is a high-impact and sustainable education initiative made possible through partnerships. The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) is the founding body and has done incredible work bringing the right stakeholders together.

On this project, the NMF’s Yase Godlo and Alta Brown have worked tirelessly in bringing GIA to the schools that were most in need of investment. Brown, a Vodacom Change the World volunteer assisting the NMF, encouraged learners and dignitaries alike to live the legacy of Madiba every day and make a difference in the simplest of ways.

The launch was well supported by the school governing body, the education circuit management representative and staff. In addition, the country director of Room to Read spoke directly to the learners, encouraging them to continue working hard and be diligent.

Particularly inspiring was the learners’ contribution to the launch event. The choir sang the national anthem and young girls gave a fantastic display of traditional dance.

But Grade 5 learner Koketso Mashego gave the most outstanding performance, reciting a poem of thanks, celebration and inspiration.

All stakeholders left the ceremony confident that the container library would be well looked after, utilised by the learners, and supported by the school and education department.