Eight-year-old student Whitney America was one of the first children to enter the library once it was opened. She took a book and immediately started reading, saying she looked forward to spending a lot of time inside the library.
On 23 February 2015 the Nelson Mandela Foundation, in partnership with the Cotton On Foundation, handed over the keys to the Mandela Day Library at Valley Primary School in the Western Cape.
Valley Primary School Principal Priscilla August was moved and excited by the new educational facility, that will cater to more than 200 children from Grade R to 6.
“You have started building a dream for these little ones, instilling in them the belief that the sky is the limit. Possibilities are endless when you open the doors to reading… our hearts are filled with gratitude; our hearts are filled with joy,” she said.
Valley Primary School, located on the urban edge of Western Cape between Bellville and Durbanville, primarily educates children whose parents are farmworkers on local wine estates, while others travel from as far as Du Noon and Fisantekraal.
The school’s Head of Department and Governing Body representative, Louisa Coetzee, said the benefits of having a library at the school would be evident in the coming months and years.
Eight-year-old student Whitney America was one of the first children to enter the library once it was opened. She took a book and immediately started reading, saying she looked forward to spending a lot of time inside the library.
Carmeline Bothman was also very excited by the Mandela Day Library and all the new books that were available. The young girl, who was singled out by Ms Coetzee during the handover for her love of reading, has taught herself how to read and write in Afrikaans through her love of books.
The Cotton On Foundation, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Vodacom Change The World, has spent around R300 000 creating the Mandela Day Library. In addition, Cotton On has run an in-store book drive to source as many books as possible to fill the library shelves at Valley Primary. RTT has also contributed, delivering 1 000 books in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa to the school.
Johan van Wyk, Cotton On Group Country Manager for South Africa, said, “As a company, we genuinely believe tomorrow can be better than today. We strive for a more equitable future where everyone benefits from our success.”
Yase Godlo, of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, told the children, “In here are books, in here is a whole new life for you to see and explore.” At the opening, he reminded all who attended that Nelson Mandela loved children and the project was designed to continue his legacy.
A key local Mandela Day campaign partner, the Cotton On Foundation aims to enrich the lives of children through contributions towards food security, educational development and literacy in South Africa.
Through the Mandela Day Food Security Initiative, the Foundation donated 240 food parcels to the children of Valley Primary School before Christmas last year. The donation is part of a wider campaign to distribute 670 000 food parcels to children across South Africa by 2016.
The Cotton On Foundation has also partnered with the Caring4Girls project and the Imbumba Foundation to assist the girls of Valley Primary with menstrual hygiene training, in addition to currently building an additional classroom structure.
Part of the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s mandate is to use the history, experience, values, vision and leadership of the late Nelson Mandela to provide a springboard for positive change.
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The library opening was featured in the Cape Times, 24 February. Click on the image to read the piece written by Katharina Riebesel.
