Developing Libraries
The focus of the project is developing fully-stocked libraries managed by a trained librarian or library assistant in seven primary schools of the greater Cape Town area.
The libraries have a stock of appropriate books based on 3-4 books/learner, adequate furniture and fittings, and a collection of wall charts and other materials.
Basic teaching materials are also supplied for the classroom.
The libraries are quiet and welcoming and encourages reading and the love of books.
Rahmaniyah Primary School's brand new library
Ms Thuraya Solomons teacher and librarian at Rahmaniyah.
The newly moved library is a bright, clean and happy space.
The Grade 5, 6 and 7 classrooms got English and English/Afrikaans Dictionaries.
The project
2015 update: Currently, the project (which started in February 2010), covers nine libraries in the Greater Cape Town area, eight in primary schools and one in a secondary school.
Our trained librarians and club members regularly monitor the libraries, supply books as available and do what they can to continue the libraries development.
One school was reluctantly dropped from the program and a replacement was found. We are still seeking a final library for the next phase in the project.
A Rotary Foundation Global Grant application was recently sent off. Hopefully, inside the next few months, there will be some exciting news for this project!
Training Librarians in the Walmer Estate Container library.
The project is mainly funded by an annual grant from Engen, South Africa; a Matching Grant partnered by the Sunrise Rotary Club of Alturas, California; and donations from local Rotary Clubs. Waltons supplies most of the office furniture and stationery.
The project started in February 2010. A large variety of books from various sources has been supplied to the project schools, some purchased and some donated to the project. Sets of dictionaries have also been provided to grades V-VII for classroom use.
New libraries were established at Rahmaniyeh, Chapel Street and Walmer Estate schools. Since no available space was available at Walmer Estate a shipping container was converted into a library.
The project uses two retired librarians to organize the libraries and offer hands-on training to the library assistants. All libraries are now functioning in varying but fairly satisfactory degrees of efficiency.
June 2017: Schotschekloof Primary School Library
We can be very proud of our endeavours at Schotschekloof Primary School and we are extremely privileged to have a passionate librarian in Haneem. In the picture is David Catling and librarian Haneem Majiet-Abader.
31st May 2017 - Maitland High Library Project
Chris de Bruin with Deputy Headmisterss Carol Hiebner and David Catling. David officially handed over the Library project at Mailand High to Chris who already has some exciting plans to add subject specific study guides to the student resource centre.
Feb 2017: Dictionaries for Athlone North Primary School
Learners from Athlone North Primary School showing the dictionaries donated by the Library Project Global Grant.
We believe that our strategy for supporting school libraries is working quite well.
The libraries will be consolidated over the next 2-3 years, their stock of books expanded, and the further training for the library assistants is being planned.
The tenure of the library assistants is precarious because the schools are obliged to pay their stipend. We will continue to draw this situation to the attention of the WCED and lobby for permanent school librarians.
We are grateful to our project librarians for their sterling work.
Children, delighted with with their Octavia goes out in Asia books.
Two pupils at Boundary Primary School in Bonteheuwel reading through their new Usborne Dictionaries.
Recently, a very kind, anonymous donation of R10,000 to the Libraries Project, enabled the purchase of 130 dictionaries to go to: Boundary (50), the most recent school to join the project; Rosewood Primary (40), which had a flood that damaged many of it's library books after a break-in, and Maitland High (40).
Kamieskroon Literacy Project
The project aims to eradicate illiteracy in the Foundation Phase in three village-based primary schools. These schools are located in the interior of the Namaqua District (some 500km from Cape Town) where - in many ways - life in these villages has remained unchanged for the last 2000 years.
The Matching Grant via Somers RC New York yielded R465,000 spent over five years R1 million Rural Namaqualand Education Trust (RNET) was set up by our Honorary Members from New York to sustain operations for a minimum of a further five years.
We have a Rotarian Trustee assisting fund administration Fund pays salaries of three rural librarians, training teachers, numerous building costs and providing some high school bursaries.
On 4 May 4th this year on our return trip from the Upington Conference we stopped off at our Kamieskroon schools. Here Anne Postema hands over magazines, sellotape and book-covering material to one of the teachers at the Klein Nourivier Primary School on behalf of our Inner Wheel Club.
Glynis Jennings and Anne Postema at the pre-primary school building.
Anne Postema hands over magazines, stationery and clothes to Annie Dirksen at the Klein Nourivier Pre-Primary School that was built, furnished and equipped by the Waterfront Rotary Club.
Waterfront Rotary Club member, Hannarie Wenhold shows the children at Rooifontein Pre Primary School a picture she took of them on her phone.
Computer Project
Waterfront RC focuses on the upliftment of the Cape Town Inner city schools. This started with the library project and in 2014/15, when MAERSK shipping donated their old laptops, it was an ideal opportunity to enrich the learning experience at these schools even further...
After careful consideration for the security of the equipment, we chose 6 primary schools to which 132 computers have been donated.
2014/15 Waterfront RC Captain Maryka Vermaak with Mr Kamish (Walmer Primary principal), Mr Williams (St Mary’s Primary principal), Western Cape Education Minister Schafer and Mrs Jaffer (Rahmaneyah Primary vice principal)
The Early act club of St Mary’s Primary school, looking at the donation of laptops for their school. At the handover ceremony they surprised us by reciting the 4 way test.
Zaine Perry, Avuyile Jack, Sisipho Mndita and Mihle Manjati of St Mary’s Primary School were the first to test their computers.