UPDATE: WORD OF OUR CAMPAIGN IS SPREADING FAST. JODI PICOULT HAS EVEN SUPPORTED AND TWEETED OUR CAMPAIGN LINK FOR INDIEGOGO. We are in awe of the support we are receiving. We have reached our goal in under 24 hours. We want to keep pushing! Keep the donations coming! We will continue to work as hard as possible to improve the lives and conditions of the students and the school of Manenberg Primary.
“Major international studies have determined that, all other things being equal, the provision of a functional school library will add between 10% and 25% to average learner outcomes.” – Equal Education
Our names are Alyssa Stever and Jenna Zarou. We are students in a Service-Learning program here in Cape Town, South Africa. We attend The University of Pittsburgh and Clark University back in the States, respectively. In early February we began our service at Manenberg Primary School in the township of Manenberg.
Manenberg Primary School was established in 1969. The school and surrounding area struggles with poverty and the various factors that accompany impoverished communities. Gangsterism, drug abuse, malnourishment, child neglect, unidentified learning disorders, lack of access to counseling for students, violence, and lack of funding are just a few of the everyday struggles that affect the school. Low literacy and numeracy rates are prevalent throughout all grades. There is also a very high student to teacher ratio. For every thirty-five students there is only one teacher. Overcrowding in the classrooms leads to a loud and at times chaotic learning environment. Lack of school materials, limited space, and varied learning styles and levels of the students leaves little room for productive lessons.
Within a week Jenna and I had discovered a pressing need for the school- a library. There have been two attempts in the past but the library has never been able to sustain. With your help, Jenna and I are confident that this third attempt will not only be sustainable but also life changing for these unbelievable children.
We are currently working with an NGO called Equal Education. After working closely with this NGO and volunteering at their office, we have established a great relationship with the coordinators. They have offered to donate three books for every learner at Manenberg Primary! That is 1,899 books! We will be forever grateful to them for contributing the most imperative aspect of a library to us and more importantly, the students of Manenberg Primary.
A US dollar here in Cape Town goes a long way! Any contribution would create a massive, positive impact for our library. Donations will go towards furnishings for the library: tables, chairs, whiteboards, carpets, stools, etc. Any extra donations will then go towards the students’ school fees. The current school fee for the entire school year is R300 ($32.80) and only half of the school population is able to pay this fee. While some students file for exemptions, others simply do not pay because there is no fine. The money from the school fees goes towards every day necessities such as security, maintenance, materials, and teachers salaries. All of these above listed aspects are in need of improvement.
WE HAVE TEN DAYS TO REACH OUR GOAL. We need your help! Our data suggests that there are factors inhibiting the improvement of literacy rates at Manenberg Primary School. We wish to curb these factors by providing a physical space for students to learn. The physical space alone we hope will excite and entice the students to pick up a book. This should be a space where the student prompts the learning- not a space that mirrors those of the crowded and chaotic classrooms. The library should be a safe haven; a place where reading just one book will begin the cycle of improved literacy and improved life for the children of Manenberg.