Young bookworms at Walmer Estate Primary have been blessed with a kwaai new library.
The Otto Foundation officially opened the Protea Library on 12 November and since then the pupils have been loving it.
The organisation’s Literacy Director Nonikiwe Mashologu says this is the third library they have launched, but the journey has not been easy.
Nonikiwe explains: “Our second library at Holy Cross Primary burnt down just before opening. Luckily it is now functioning since early this year.
“Our third library is the Protea Library at Walmer Estate Primary which opened last Thursday.
“We also opened a library which is shared by Zonnebloem Boys and Zonnebloem Girls Schools in 2017, called the Sunflower Library.”
Nonikiwe says she hopes the libraries will help plant the seed of reading into young minds: “Reading is such an important aspect of education.
“Our core focus is to help improve literacy levels in the country.”
She says it is not always possible for schools to have libraries due to a lack of resources, so the organisation helps carry the cost of the libraries, including paying librarians.
“The school begins to take over a percentage of the costs in a phased manner over five years until they assume the whole cost of the library.”
At the grand opening, Walmer Estate Primary pupil Owethu Dondolo read a poem which earned him a special meet and greet with the Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.
The poem by Jane Baskwill describes why he loves reading.
He read: “Open a book and you will find.
“People and places of every kind.
“Open a book and you can be anything that you want to be.”
The Grade 3 pupil chose the poem because the new library means laaities at Walmer Estate Primary can enter a world of possibilities just by turning a page.
Robyn Frost | [email protected]