With a focus on primary schools in impoverished communities, the Public Investment Corporation's Senior Communications Officer, Adi Mathai said, "Children from poor communities have very little access to books at home and often attend schools with inferior or no library facilities. Libraries are a saving grace and can lift children out of the cycle of poverty. Access to interesting and comprehensible books has a strong impact on vocabulary, grammar and writing style and of course, knowledge of the world, literacy is fundamental to success," he said.
Including the recent launches of libraries at Beisang Mabewana Primary School in the Free State and Sedibeng Primary School in the Northern Cape, on 28 August and 5 September respectively, the Public Investment Corporation has invested in the education of 3071 primary school learners. "Libraries play an important role in supporting children living in poverty," says Jade Orgill, Project Manager for Breadline Africa. "Investment into literacy has a far-reaching, long-term and sustainable effect on breaking the cycle of poverty as well as addressing the skills' shortage in South Africa. If children are able to frequent libraries and use books as a means of complementing their daily classroom learning, they will significantly increase their range of tertiary and ultimately career choices."
As matric mock exams descend and issues around literacy and the quality of passes once again surface, the Mandela Day Libraries Project is becoming a beacon of hope to many impoverished communities across southern Africa, setting the tone for literacy development at foundation and intermediate phases.
For more information on Breadline Africa, please visit: http://breadlineafrica.org/
