Education is a powerful tool to advance development, and reading is a crucial building block in any child’s educational journey.
Anglo American (“the company”) has repurposed a stand that was used for its exhibition at the 2016 Mining Indaba into a library. To coincide with World Book Day 2016, the company will present the repurposed exhibition stand—filled with books, and learning materials—as a library and study centre to the Lovedale Primary School in Kroonstad. This space has been created to drive learning and inspire the youth of the rural Naledi Trust community.
The school has a total of 290 learners from Grade R to Grade 7 and currently does not have a library.
“We would like to say a big thank you to Anglo American for making it possible for the Lovedale Primary School to have a library. The learners at our school will benefit by enriching their vocabulary and reading skills. The library will also be open to the community,” says Lovedale Primary School Principal, Mohapeloa Cecilia.
For this initiative, Anglo American partnered with South Africa’s largest bookstore chain, Exclusive Books, and leading educational publisher, Shuter and Shooter.
“Approximately half of South African households do not have access to books, this impacts negatively on the literacy levels of school-going children in South Africa. We hope our contribution to this initiative will help inculcate and grow a culture of reading in the Naledi Trust community,” says Leigh Jackman, CSI Manager at Exclusive Books.
Heather Hannaway, Publishing Director at Shuter and Shooter, said that the company was proud to be associated with a project drawing different partners in support of education. “Quality learning materials are often in short supply in many rural schools in South Africa. It is our belief that every school deserves access to quality learning material and partnering on this initiative enables us to make a difference,” she said.
Through its subsidiary business, Anglo American Platinum, the company has partnered with the Department of Energy and Ballard Power Systems on a rural electrification project in the Naledi Trust community.
”The library is an extension of our existing contribution to the Naledi Trust community. Since August 2014, Anglo American Platinum in partnership with Ballard Systems, the Department of Energy and the Moqhaka Municipality, have been providing electricity to 34 homes through a methanol fuel cell power system. Both these projects demonstrate the value of innovation and partnerships in our efforts to contribute to South Africa’s development,” says Kleantha Pillay, head of market development for Anglo American Platinum.
Through repurposing the exhibition stand, Anglo American hopes not only to make a difference in education—but to also inspire other corporates to find creative and innovative solutions to some of the challenges South African communities face.