Present to add a bit of colour and energy to the visits was the Collect-a-Can mascot, the CANman, who had boxes of reading books in tow for the schools to add to their libraries in exchange for the cans the pupils and school staff had collected for recycling. (Images: Collect-a-Can SA)
Together with partners and stakeholders, Collect-a-Can’s (a can recovery and recycling organisation), Collect-a-Book initiative has managed to collect approximately 3000 books that they hope will help foster a love of reading literature among the five underprivileged schools they had identified to receive these books.
About 3 000 books were donated by Collect-a-Book to five underprivileged schools, in the hopes they would spark a love of reading in the children.
Collect-a-Book is an offshoot of Collect-a-Can, the well-known can recovery and recycling organisation. A number of partners joined the initiative, which was Collect-a-Can’s effort to mark Mandela Month this year. It tied into Nelson Mandela’s love of reading and his belief in the role the youth had to play in transforming South Africa as a whole.
The books were handed over to the schools on 23 and 24 July; on the days, the pupils were treated to fun-filled interactive reading with volunteers and staff, who were on hand to help make it a time to remember.
Zimasa Velaphi, Collect-a-Can’s public relations and marketing manager, said the aim of Collect-a-Book was to put books in the hands of underprivileged pupils and “bring reading books to life, while making a lasting and memorable difference in schools”.
Groups of volunteers and partners, along with a number of staff members from Collect-a-Can, made their first stop at Zitha Primary School in Vanderbijlpark, in Gauteng on Thursday. Visits to the four other schools were on Friday. They were: Chuma Primary School in Khayelitsha, Cape Town; Khalipha Primary School in Umlazi, Durban; Boepakitso Primary School in Diepkloof, Johannesburg; and Bokamoso Primary School in Soshanguve, Tshwane.
Present to add a bit of colour and energy to the visits was the Collect-a-Can mascot, the CANman, who had boxes of reading books in tow for the schools to add to their libraries in exchange for the cans the pupils and school staff had collected for recycling.
Selected classes at the schools were treated to what the facilitators of the initiative called “READalicious” activities. These involved teaching the children the many benefits of reading through interactive exercises and group reading sessions. They showed that reading could be fun, and could be considered more than just a part of the school curriculum.
The activities were designed to prove to the children that reading could help to unlock the imagination and widen their scope of reference.
Velaphi explained that the importance of reading for pleasure could not be underestimated. A study on children and reading “showed that reading for pleasure positively influences children’s learning abilities, especially with regards to developing their vocabulary, spelling abilities and mathematics skills”.
It was important, she added, for Collect-a-Can to ensure this was not a once-off event. “Schools can look forward to a follow-up visit for International Literacy Day on Tuesday, 8 September 2015, when we hope to find that these learners have fallen in love with reading for pleasure.”
The many partners who played a part in the success of the initiative included ReaderLympics, Biblionef, Molteno, Pan Macmillan, Dainfern Valley Estate and Tshikovha Environmental and Communication Consultancy.
“Nothing encapsulates the spirit of Mandela Month more than working together to make a positive difference in our underprivileged communities,” Velaphi concluded.
For more information about Collect-a-Can, visit its website or telephone on 011 466 2939.
