This year sees my library project in it's 3rd year --- and it's growing on an international level.
Every year I go out in search of YA or children's book donations and head to the nearest school in my area who is in desperate need of either starting up a library or expanding their very outdated - apartheid- era books. This is why our kids dont read.
SHOCKING STATS.
SAfrica has a population of 40mil and little over 10% of the population are regular readers.
There are many reasons for this , main reason is that books and libraries is not a government priority and it hasn't been for a very long time.
our kids don't have access to books at all!
Enters me with your help I bring a minimum of 30 books to a school and talk to the kids about reading and writing and how it changed my life and brought me opportunities beyond compare. If I can show the kids there is not only something compelling about escaping in a good story, but get them hooked on reading and writing... many worlds open to them.,
In April we, with the help of Skoobs theatre of books and local authors and media, raised 1000 books for underprivileged kids of Johannesburg city. The beneficiary of this donation was the pavement bookworm foundation. Philani and I headed to central Johannesburg and rained books down on the kids. ...read more
After this event I was contacted by a lady that works in my are responsible for keeping school libraries running. Needless to say I said hell yes... We have 19 schools in my area alone that is in desperate need of reading, writing and some inspiration with huge serving of book love.
MY NEXT TWO DROP OFFS
My biggest donations come from me fellow Utopians, a collection of awesome book loving people who attend Utopiacon in Nashville every year. And every year I collect so many books I have to keep most in the USA until I raise enough funds to ship them South Africa.
This collection has taken me a year to get here. And this is the problem with why we are short of books in our schools.... It's costly and time consuming.
BUT THIS WONT STOP ME and it seems it hasnt stopped my fellow utopians either.
With the help of the authors, Little Bird Publshing and Utopiacon founded by Janet Wallace we bring you an anthology ... With 8 amazingly diverse and fabulous reads from UTOPiAns and a foreward from Janet Wallace, Founder of UTOPiA con, this anthology is not only a brilliant read but is also raising funds for a cause very close to the heart of the UTOPiAn community. With all profits after costs going to the 'Help Build A Library in South Africa
Foundation' founded by fellow UTOPiAn Carlyle Labuschange, this anthology is both an inspiring call to make a revolution in your own life, and a practical application of that philosophy in the wider world. Over the course of 8 days, we shall be celebrating, sharing, and givingaway goodies form the authors of the anthology, the UTOPiA Con, and raising awareness of this incredible chairty.
We have already raised over $240.00 from pre-release sales at the UTOPiA Con 2016, and we want to extend an incredibly heartfelt thank you to all those who have supported, shared and promoted the anthology so far.
The Anthology is available in paperback and eBook on Amazon worldwide, and will be available on other major platforms later in the year.
At the event we reaised enough money start up one/ possibly two libraries, with added goodies for the kids (swag bags filled with swag)
AND HELP BRING THE 2 BOXES OF COLLECTED BOOKS TO SOUTH AFRICA
read more about Help Build a Library Project in SAfrica
