Gqeberha’s Empilweni Hospital has emerged as a standout beneficiary among over 7000 schools and non-profit organisations in South Africa, receiving a mobile trolley library from Oxford University Press South Africa and AVBOB.
This initiative is part of the annual AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign, which aims to address the country’s literacy crisis.
The trolley, valued at R65 000, is stocked with 500 language books aligned with the CAPS curriculum. Empilweni Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department was one of 500 beneficiaries selected to receive a trolley library.
The campaign invited the public to nominate primary schools or educational NPOs they felt deserved to win a trolley library. After nominations were finalised, a selection process identified the beneficiaries to which these libraries would be delivered.
Anjali Raga, a physiotherapist at the hospital, expressed her excitement about the new library, “The library will empower our community, especially by promoting literacy among young readers,” she said. “Access to these high-quality books in children’s home languages will play a vital role in bringing a world of knowledge and the magic of reading to patients in the hospital.”
Karen Simpson, Managing Director of Oxford University Press South Africa, echoed Raga’s sentiments. “We’re so proud to be part of an initiative that prioritises the distribution of high-quality, age-appropriate books to deserving schools,” she said.
Carl van der Riet, CEO of AVBOB, highlighted the importance of such partnerships in strengthening education efforts in South Africa. “Partnerships like these make a difference in society, helping children, schools, and educators,” he said.
The AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign aims to address South Africa’s literacy crisis. Last year, it was announced that South Africa ranked last out of the 57 countries in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2021. The study tested the reading ability of 400 000 students globally and showed that 81% of South African children could not read for comprehension in any of the country’s 11 official written languages.
The 500 trolley libraries donated this year are substantially more than the 260 trolley libraries donated in 2023, and the 180 trolleys donated in 2022. In total, 250 000 books, surpassing last year’s 130 000 and 2022’s 77 400 books, will be donated.
The total investment value for the AVBOB Road to Literacy campaign amounts to R32.5 million.
Simpson added, “Our mission at OUPSA is to transform lives through learning. We believe that partnerships with like-minded organisations such as AVBOB are essential in realising our vision to positively impact the lives of millions of learners anytime, anywhere.
The collaboration has strengthened over the last three years, and we are exceptionally proud of our involvement in the 2024 Road to Literacy campaign which supports so many schools where access to the right literacy resources can make the biggest difference to learning outcomes.”
