Members of the public are urged to help choose schools and academic organisations that deserve to be recipients of a 2026 Road to Literacy mobile library trolley. The initiative is supported by the Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUPSA) and AVBOB.
Members of the public are invited to nominate primary schools and education-focused non-profit organisations (NPOs). In total, 2 000 trolley libraries, each stocked with 500 Caps-aligned books, will be donated to help nurture a lifelong love of reading among young learners.
Voting will close on 31 March, and can be accessed via avbob.co.za/roadtoliteracy. Nominees should be underserviced public primary schools or education-focused NPOs that will use the trolley library to strengthen reading in the foundation and intermediate phases.
“Speaking to educators who have received trolleys has shown me just how transformative this initiative is,” said Karen Simpson, managing director at the OUPSA.
Nakedi Pilane, executive director for Business Development and Financial Services at AVBOB, said the initiative’s impact was far-reaching.
“The number of 2 000 trolley libraries mean an additional one million books in the hands of young readers. We have seen how a single trolley can change the energy of a classroom and the confidence of a learner.”
Launched in 2022, Road to Literacy is a public participation campaign that mobilises communities to contribute to the efforts to empower learners with relevant reading resources in all 11 official written languages, by increasing access to reading materials across South Africa.
The initiative supports early-grade reading by donating mobile trolley libraries that support literacy and numeracy. Its purpose is to equip teachers with versatile, ready-to-use classroom libraries and give learners regular access to engaging books.
The initiative has been extended to reach even more classrooms and communities by doubling the number of trolley libraries from the 1 000 of 2025, to 2 000. This represents an investment of R115 million, as each library is valued at roughly R57 500.
“Access to books in a learner’s mother tongue improves reading for meaning at formative stages, as well as classroom engagement, and contributes towards retention of learners through their school career,” said Simpson.
“This initiative gives the public a unique opportunity to help address South Africa’s literacy crisis and support their local schools by simply spending a few minutes submitting a nomination.”
Each nomination will be carefully reviewed to ensure a fair and impactful selection process. The aim is to identify schools and organisations that not only demonstrate a need, but are also deeply committed to improving literacy in their communities.
“Our commitment to literacy extends beyond donations. It’s about creating a lasting change through initiatives that work. Through the Road to Literacy campaign, we are able to reach schools that often lack resources, helping to nurture a generation of readers who can imagine and achieve more,” said Pilane.
