If you would like to get more books for your primary school or local after-school project, you now have the chance to win one of 2 000 library trolleys!
For the fifth year, Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUPSA), in partnership with Avbob, is invites the public to nominate primary schools and education-focused NPOs for its Road to Literacy (RTL) campaign.
As part of the 2026 campaign 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.
South Africans have until Tuesday 31 March to nominate schools and education NPOs that would benefit from mobile trolley libraries containing quality books and high-impact resources.
“Speaking to educators who have received trolleys has shown me just how transformative this initiative is,” said Karen Simpson, managing director of OUPSA.
“We are committed to publishing in all 11 official written languages, and this campaign helps us get those books directly into the hands of learners who need them most.”
Nakedi Pilane, executive director of business development and financial services at Avbob, said this year’s project is the most ambitious to date. “Two thousand 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,” she related.
Launched in 2022, Road to Literacy is a public-participation campaign that mobilises communities to contribute in the efforts to empower learners at primary-school level with relevant reading resources in all 11 official written languages.
This is done by increasing access to reading materials to primary schools across South Africa.
Its purpose is to equip teachers with versatile ready-to-use classroom libraries and give learners regular access to age-appropriate engaging books.
Anyone can “Nominate to Educate” – parents, teachers, principals, learners, alumni, community members and even NPOs are welcome to nominate worthy recipients.
Nominees should be under-serviced public primary schools or education-focused NPOs that will use the trolley library to strengthen reading in the foundation and intermediate phases.
The initiative complements Avbob’s broader literacy investments, including its Container Library programme, which converts shipping containers into fully-equipped libraries that serve learners and communities by transforming them into welcoming, functional spaces that make books accessible to all.
A nomination could be the difference between a learner who struggles to read and a reader who realises all the opportunities that literacy unlocks.
• Visit www.avbob.co.za for more information on the Road to Literacy (RTL) campaign and nominate a worthy school or NPO.
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