As the Festive Season approaches, ASAP invites you to give the gift of books to orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa! In many of the rural communities we work, school bookshelves are completely empty. Literacy among African children is a growing concern and 79% of South African public schools do not have libraries. ASAP has already begun delivering literature and scholastic books to rural schools, but there are over 85 schools in our community groups. That’s a lot of desperately needed books!
With your help we can fill the shelves and give these children something real to celebrate this holiday. Every individual book, set, shelf, case, or crate of books you purchase in the name of a friend or loved one will go directly into the library of a rural school. It’s not just a monetary donation, these are actual books in English and local South African languages, both fiction and non-fiction, aligned with the National curriculum.
Donating books for orphans will make a wonderful and unique gift.
Here’s how it works
Once your order is completed through Google Checkout ($’s will reflect in the local currency of the account holder), ASAP will send a beautifully designed e-card with video — a heartwarming Thank You from South African children — to each recipient, informing them of the generous gift made, by you, in their name. And remember, the more books you buy, the more shelves we’ll fill, so please consider books for your entire shopping list! The campaign will be up and running from now until January 6th, with books en-route to the schools in January. Stay tuned for pictures of your generosity at work!
“If you want to help a school, help it with its library. Research from across the world shows that good schools have libraries. It doesn’t have to be an expensive building; it can be a cosy classroom corner. It’s a space where children have a choice of attractive books, where they can lose themselves to find out about themselves – and the rest of the world. Again, research shows that children who read well do well in all their subjects. But to read well they have to read a lot. To read a lot they must like reading. And to like reading they must have access to books they can enjoy and make sense of. Books stretch their imaginations, their emotions and their intellects. They are the way to improve our schools – and our future.” Professor Genevieve Hart, University of the Western Cape
