Covid has brought many challenges, but it did give us the time to work on a most important dream we have had for so long: our own “public” library for the children (and hopefully more and more adults ) on the Paardeberg.
We started with reading sessions on different farms during the Covid lockdown and combined the reading with something nice to eat: pancakes or soup or lollipops. In the beginning the eats were more popular than the stories, but it did not take long for the stories to win the day and we now have 7 reading groups on 5 different farms and about 70 kids who attend weekly or twice a week, as well as a number of moms and dads who do bedtime stories. Everyone started with picture books, but the older children have moved on to Afrikaans translations of Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis. Several children have started to take out books to read on their own, some as young as 6 years old.
The different groups met up for two “reading days” in October and had fun acting out the books they had read, listening to stories in the bigger group and playing games.
Our library now has 300 books, all in excellent condition or new; all covered. We believe every child must have the option to read new books or books that are as good as new; and that children should learn to appreciate that feeling and learn to keep books in a good condition. We have received some from Biblionef, some from private donors such as Milan Murray and Charmaine Nolte and others from many sponsors who allowed us to choose the books that would be best for our children. These gifts are doors to new worlds and new hope.