Over 13,000 books donated to help improve literacy in Cape communities
When the Liberty Promenade Mall recently appealed to the public to donate books as part of its #ReadDreamRepeat campaign, shoppers responded with open hearts. A total of 13,411 books were donated, meaning the project doubled its ambitious target to provide 6 700 books to six local, public, government-funded schools in its surrounding area.
The book collection aimed to help boost literacy levels by providing both new and pre-loved books to unprivileged local schools. Six Mitchells Plain schools were initially earmarked to benefit from the campaign: Eastville Primary, Eisleben Road Primary, Portland Primary, Searidge Park Primary, Spine Road High, and West End Primary. Now, thanks to the tremendous response, an additional four schools will benefit, so that they too can expand their currently scarce library collections.
Initially launched on Mandela Day 2021, the campaign led to an outpouring of donations from corporate organisations and members of the public alike. Organisations including Woolworths, Pearson, Exclusive Books, St Annes Homes, Pick n Pay School club, Calamari Fisheries and Bergvliet Primary School came forth generously. Cape Town International airport made available space in its domestic and international terminals for additional drop-off points to make donations easier.
Heart FM was the media partner for the #ReadDreamRepeat campaign. The station encouraged their listeners to support the initiative and broadcast live from the mall on the campaign’s closing date, enhancing the sense of celebration around the project’s success.
“Books offer oceans of knowledge and our school has struggled with a lack of resources for our students. We are deeply grateful for the donation made by the #ReadDreamRepeat Book Collection drive. Our students will now be able to access literature that will further enhance their learning experience!’ said Mark Fairbairn, Principal, Spine Road High.
“As a community-centric mall, with a focus on uplifting and upskilling the local community, Liberty Promenade is thrilled at the response that this project received. We hope that the books donated will make a lasting contribution to the education of the learners in the recipient schools,” said Brenda Bibby, General Manager of Liberty Promenade. “It has been heartwarming to see the incredible outpouring of donations from Capetonians and those further afield, as if the spirit of Madiba was felt throughout the campaign. To all of the organisations and individuals who donated books, we can’t thank you all enough” she added.
Liberty Promenade is a COVID-19 compliant, SAFE certified shopping centre, and with safety as a priority, the donated books will follow a strict sanitising protocol, prior to distribution at the schools.
