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Books for South Africa
 
Books for South Africa was started in 2000 to help improve the quality of education in Sub-saharn Africa.  We attempt to equalize the great demand for books in Southern Africa with the huge supply of used books here in the United States.  Books for South Africa is happy to assist anyone interested in starting a book drive of thier own and providing information about deserving recipients of books in Africa.

Our Partners

The South Africa Development Fund

The South Africa Development Fund (SADF) is Books for South Africa's fiscal sponsor. It is a U.S. tax-exempt public charity directed by South Africans who have a vast knowledge of the issues in their country and strong ties to the United States. Established in 1985 by political exiles, SADF provides grants to community-based organizations committed to non-sexist, non-racial, democratic practices and which address human rights through health, education, economic development, environmental justice and democracy-building. SADF seeks to use philanthropy to promote grassroots activism aimed at providing services and resources to communities disadvantaged by decades of apartheid policies.

The South Africa Development Fund has been awarded a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, its highest possible rating.

eduWeavers

eduWeavers develops and supports unique school-based partnerships among disparate global communities. The foundation of the eduWeavers uses joint projects and shared intellectual pursuits to create international collaboration, as well as provide opportunities for philanthropic giving. Such learning is facilitated by both technology and face-to-face cultural exchange which mutually benefits students in each of the partner schools, enriches the curriculum, and engages and shapes the futures of all members of each of the partnership communities.

Recipient Spotlight
 
The Khayelitsha Information and Technology Centre
(Khayelitsha, South Africa)

In September of 2002, over 60,000 books were sent to a library located on Mongezi road at the SHAWCO Community Centre in Khayelitsha. SHAWCO (Student Health and Welfare Community Organization) is the organization in charge of running the Community Centre and receiving donated books.

The Centre currently employs a full-time librarian, Primrose Mazule, and has relocated to a larger room to accommodate the growing number of books.

The library has a general reference section complete with encyclopedias and dictionaries. It also has poetry, humor, and both Afrikaans and Xhosa fiction sections. Story time hour happens everyday, and on average about 70 children use the library every afternoon Monday to Friday.

In addition, 14 computers were donated by Africare, a USA based NGO. Microsoft also donated its standard MS Office package plus some language and math educational game programs. Printers were also given to the library. In addition, 60,000 Rand (About $10,000 USD) was donated from the University of Cape Town business school students, who won the money at a local competition. This money was used to install the cabling and improve security (putting in reinforced steel burglar bars and gates and reinforcing the ceiling.)

History of the Centre

The Khayelitsha (Kai-uh-leet-sha) Centre Library was started in March of 1999 by an American Trinity College (Hartford, CT) student studying abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Its goal is to create a place for children to go after school and provide books for children living in an impoverished area. Working in conjunction with S.T.E.P. (the Student Tutoring and Education Project) and its parent organization SHAWCO,, shelves, bookends, tables, chairs, and other library materials were brought in to the SHAWCO Centre in the township of Khayelitsha, just outside of Cape Town. There, students from Trinity, Princeton, Middlebury, Harvard, and other colleges and universities went into the township 3 to 4 times a week during their stay in South Africa to organize books and set up a cataloguing system for the library. Many of the children who attended after-school activities sponsored by S.T.E.P. contributed greatly to organizing and cataloguing library materials.

The first overseas donation came from the Trinity Episcopal Church in Topsfield, MA in June of 1999, followed by another donation from Dr. Julius Dudley, a Salem State Professor. Dr. Dudley has, to date, shipped over 4 million books to locations all over South Africa. In the fall of 2000, a part-time librarian, Primrose Mazule, was hired and later became full-time. Since then, subsequent donations have come from Trinity College in May of 2000, Berwick Academy in June of 2001, and many other individuals throughout the year.

 

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