The Good Hope Library

THE GOOD HOPE LIBRARY

'Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world'.  
Nelson Mandela.

The library is in use and the librarians are busy capturing the books into the software system - this takes such a long time if you consider each book to take 5 minutes to capture, stick on bar codes, date pages and print and stick on spine labels.

On Mandela Day, 18th July 2014, the team volunteered rather more than their 67 minutes for Mandela Day at Nancefield Primary School to get our Good Hope Library ready for next term.  They transported 50 boxes of books, sorted and stacked 31 large  plastic boxes the books onto the shelves (1800 books) and catalogued them for each individual class. 

Patti Scales [centre above] paid a visit to School-Aid on 8th July 2014 on her way back to Johannesburg, where she has been overseeing the building and stocking of the library at Nancefield School. Asst Governor Cheryl Law presented her with a banner from Wendover Rotary, and Past President Sandra Maizels inducted her as an honorary member. Clare Junak, general manager, (far right) was also presented with a banner for her co-ordination of the project at School-Aid. Janis Mowlem, chairman of School-Aid (R) was also present.

THE SCHOOL
Nancefield Primary School, Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, with 1120 children on roll. The children are the poorest of the poor, coming to school dirty and unfed, many not in uniform which is unusual,  and the school has a liberal approach to the fees which ought to be paid, often waiving them altogether. Every child in the school is either single or double orphan.
For seven years they had no head teacher, and it was not until the parents staged a sit-in in the education office demanding more classrooms that they got their wish, and a head teacher who is making a lot of difference. The staff and parents manage to provide one meal a day, and are constantly fundraising as best they can. The volunteers from School-Aid South Africa are in and out of the school all the time and will keep an eye on the library, which has two adults ready to be trained as librarians. This is an invaluable resource for a school most of whose pupils have never had the luxury of owning a book.

 The picture shows School Aid UK and school staff with the children and the dictionaries. The school is thrilled with the donation and thanks the Club very much. Mr Du Preez, Head of English assures that they will be well used and the school has now started building library periods into the timetable, something they were never able to do before.