Ecstatic children celebrate the arrival of their new container library
The excitement of 490 kids is hard to contain when you open a new Mandela Day school library, especially when you have so many honoured guests and programme supporters at the launch.
Crown Mines Primary School in Johannesburg was originally started in the 1930s to service the kids of mine workers. Today, this small impoverished school is impeccably run by the principal, G Makhura, 12 teachers and two teacher assistants, with the help of the Crown Mines Methodist Church.
With Hlubi Mboya on hand as the official Mandela Bangle Ambassador, the day was filled with song, prayer and lots of laughter. The kids were well behaved, happy and full of smiles. Reverend Ndumiso Ncombo delivered a thought-provoking speech and sermon filled with undertones of great wisdom – almost reminding us of listening to Nelson Mandela.
Hlubi Mboya celebrates with the kids
This library was created thanks to the Participate for Good sports campaign and funded through the efforts of Herman Kerstein and the Hytec Group. It was delivered as the seventh unit out of a total of nine to be installed in partnership with the Old Mutual joBerg2c mountain bike race from Johannesburg to Scottburgh. Craig Wannick was on hand to help with proceedings and view the inspirational work of the riders and corporates who are involved in the Mandela Day Libraries Project.
Mike Harrison of the Hytec Group spoke passionately about the country and the people who make up South Africa as well as Hytec’s passion to be part of a greater solution through educating the youth. Hytec is clearly a company with soul as it’s the third library in as many years that it has been involved in.
The school will form part of the ongoing Soul Buddyz programme and will have ever-increasing access to literature via the Rotary International book depot in Johannesburg.
Added to the festivities of the day, the library was also supplied with a new superhero comic book from The Urban Legend series created by Josef Yohannes of Norway. The comic book illustrates the first black superhero who fights for children’s rights, who happens to be a school teacher by day and wears a Mandela Bangle. The comic book has been critically acclaimed in the USA and now appears daily in the USA TODAY newspaper. Added to the comic books, the kids also received a batch of FIFA-approved soccer balls for the sports department to use in school time.
The ribbon is cut
The proceedings ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening the library. More than a 1 000 books and magazines, for both students and teachers, were delivered with the unit .
Hytec also sponsored a packet of chips for each child, and drinks and snacks for the teachers and guests.
The Long Walk to Freedom Mandela Day Libraries Project is funded by the Mandela Bangle programme and its partners. Its mandate is to promote early-learning literacy in underprivileged school across South Africa. To become involved you can simply purchase a Mandela Bangle or contact us at 011 781 2635 for more information.
