The 2016 South Africa Mobile Library Book Donation organised by the Sony Group of Companies in Singapore has concluded, with a donation of 9,600 English language children’s books to the South African children. This was made possible by generous contributions from schools, members of the public as well as Sony employees in Singapore. The books will be shipped to Durban, South Africa at the end of this month by K-Line which provides free transportation of all the books collected by Sony companies around the world.
“I am very happy to see the continued partnership and support from Sony and the Singapore community for the South Africa Mobile Library project. Over the years, we have reached out to thousands of children in South Africa, fostering a love for reading and a hunger for knowledge among these children and helping them to develop their literacy for a better future,” said Tad Hasunuma, head of South Africa Primary Education Support Initiative.
This is the ninth year which the project has been organized in Singapore and this year saw an increase in the participation of schools from seven (in 2015) to 12. Sony in Singapore would like to acknowledge the following schools for their involvement:
- Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
- Bishan Park Secondary School
- CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace
- Chua Chu Kang Primary School
- Commonwealth Secondary School
- Concord Primary School
- Global Indian International School, East Coast Campus
- Juying Primary School
- Nanyang Primary School
- River Valley Primary School
- Rosyth School
- Tanglin Trust School
Students and teachers from the participating schools were involved in collecting, sorting, tagging and packing the books. Several schools also encouraged their students to write book reviews and personal messages which are appreciated by the South African children who receive the books.
Besides the schools and students, members of the public were also invited to donate books at the Sony Store @ NEX. Books were once again contributed by the National Library Board as part of their continuous support towards this project.
Since the project’s inception in 2008, more than 190,000 books have been collected through joint initiatives by 17 Sony Group companies in 11 countries worldwide. The mobile library services now cover all nine provinces in South Africa, with 49 mobile libraries in operation, reaching out to over 900 schools. For more information on Sony’s support for this project, please visit: www.sony.net/library