When 19-year-old Estelle Hislop noticed a Curro school discarding books while she was on a holiday road trip, she knew the books would serve a better purpose in a community where they were needed.
Hislop, a board member of Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ), decided to collect several boxes of these books. The SLSJ is a student society at Stellenbosch University (SU). According to Hislop, the project team is comprised of 8 members with ‘“buddies’” who each need to collect 200 books.
After a phone call from a friend in need, the idea to collect books for Intshayelelo Primary school was established.
“One of my friends who lives in Khayelitsha contacted me and asked if I could get a book for her from the SU’s Library. That was as a result of the fact that they didn’t have enough resources from where she is. So that got me thinking that we can use books from people who don’t use [them] anymore and we can take those resources to places where the books are still needed.”
Hislop says that apart from donating books, the SLSJ also aims to establish a relationship with Intshayelelo Primary school. PHOTO: Marecia Damons
She also adds that all books are accepted: “We’re collecting [books] without discrimination because we think that any book can be useful. For this project, we’re collecting anything that is applicable to a primary school child. If we do receive books that cater to a more mature audience, we’ll add an extra tier and donate it to high schools as well.”
Emily Barnes (19), the chairperson of the SLSJ, says the project is necessary as a foundation for education.
“This project is not just giving people books and access to education but allowing them to further their own education and open opportunities to them that they may not have had without this broadened education.”
Barnes states that the reason for her involvement is more than just overseeing the project.
“We often see schools that are underfunded and lack the necessities such as books on a variety of topics for students to further their own education, so because of this we felt that if we are a society that cares about education, then we should actively try to correct this injustice.”
Member of SLSJ, Paige Phillips (22), says she wanted to be involved in an initiative that focused on equal education.
“As a student who wants to pursue a career in Human Rights Law, I was looking for a place to actively be involved in the community, especially with regards to equal education.”
“I chose to get involved in this initiative because I have a passion for education and want to do what I can, to allow everyone the opportunity to learn. Reading is the best tool to do this,” adds Phillips.
The SLSJ are involved in several community projects including constitutional literacy workshops as pictured above. PHOTO: Instagram
According to Phillips people have been very enthusiastic about donating books and helping where possible since the initiative’s start in March.
“So far, meeting the other members of the book drive, people who have a similar passion, was really exciting. I am also really looking forward to assembling the library.”
Phillips encourages others to also become involved in the initiative. “I would love as many people as possible to join the donating process and even the building of the library because being involved in an initiative which seeks to only help people and improve access to information in such a simple way is truly an example of the spirit of our beautiful country.”
“Most of us have a couple of used textbooks or old children’s books lying around which we haven’t touched in years – something so simple and insignificant in our lives can have a massive impact on these children. Even one book will make a difference,” she adds.
The official handover will take place on 24 April at Intshayelelo Primary School. If anyone wishes to get involved in the project, more information can be found on the SLSJ page.