KwaFaku Vulindlela Reading Club has been hailed as a gift to the community of Lower Crossroads after the members distributed free books to residents at its annual Street Book Jam on Saturday June 30.
The club aims to inspire young and old to read, unite and develop their creativity.
The club said access to books remains a challenge for many people.
Club founding member Malusi Ntoyapi said one of the most valuable things a parent can do for their children is read to them and encourage them to read themselves.
Mr Ntoyapi commended the club’s volunteers who braved the rain on Saturday to hand out books.
He said they are all driven by a passion for childhood development and literacy.
“We have amazing people who give freely of their time to help children in Lower Crossroads, Marikana and other close areas like Luzuko, learn how to navigate the world with confidence. On the day we managed to cover many spots to distribute free books to our people. It was interesting to see how black parents were eager to help their children to read.
“The only problem is money to buy books and a challenge of having no books at all. They need books to read to their children,” he said.
He thanked Book Dash, Fundza Literacy Trust, Beautiful Gate SA, Weltevreden library, Mikhulu, Jacana Media and the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa for donating books to them.
He said over 1 500 books were given out to people.
“It is always about people bringing books to us. We would not be able to do that without them. They know the challenge of reading like parents do. The parents who came to get books told us that they want the best for their children. But we have seen that they (parents) need more awareness. They need to know that there is a library not far from them and use it too. They cannot wait for us to give free books for them to read,” said Mr Ntoyapi.
The club is planning more activities that will include an arts and life skills programme.
When Nocawe Sonamazi noticed that there were people holding posters advertising the free books on the streets of Marikana, she did not hesitate to get some for her children.
Ms Sonamazi said the people in the community know the problem of illiteracy and they struggle to get access to books to read.
She said she took the books to read with her children at home.
“I do not have enough books. This will make a better day for me and the children. We now have books to read and we were told about the library. We thank these kids for being a revelation to the community,” she said.
* For more information about KwaFaku Vulindlela Reading Club, contact Malusi Ntoyapi at mntoyapi@yahoo.com or 072 343 3552 or find them on Facebook.