News
A Dream is Realized
While visiting South Africa in the summer of 2007, KIDS Global Network, Inc. volunteers learned that the students at Manyeleti Primary School in Gothenberg, South Africa had little or no access to fiction and non-fiction books. Located in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, the school is in a community where unemployment is 94% and the majority of homes lack running water. Upon returning to the United States, fundraising efforts began with the goal to build a library collection at the school.
read more...We were able to realize this dream with money raised from generous donors. During the summer of 2008, KIDS Global Network, Inc. collaborated with Student Movement for Real Change, Inc. to build a library collection at Manyeleti Primary School. Each summer, Student Movement for Real Change, Inc. takes 25 University students from around the United States to volunteer in the Manyeleti community. In 2008, their efforts were focused on building the library. They installed shelving and seating areas, and adorned the walls with a painted mural. A book drive in Johannesburg yielded over 800 fiction and non-fiction books to fill the shelves. A checkout system was established so that students are now able to take books home. For many, this is the first time they have had access to books in their homes. The principal and staff are thrilled that their students have access to a broad range of reading materials.
This is just the beginning of our efforts. Our continuing goal is to build and enhance the collection at Manyeleti. With continued fundraising efforts, we plan to purchase dictionaries, encyclopedias, children's atlases and additional non-fiction books to expand the information sources of students.