On World Book Day, Novus Holdings, South Africa’s leading commercial printing and manufacturing company, in partnership with Breadline Africa, donated a library to Prince George Primary School in Lavender Hill, Retreat. Globally, World Book Day, which is celebrated annually on 23 April, promotes the importance of reading for pleasure.

“We believe that we need to make an active contribution to better our communities,” said Carrie Nixon, Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager at Novus Holdings. “Providing schools with much-needed resources, such as libraries, will assist in making this a reality as well as empowering the youth of South Africa to not be limited by their circumstances.”

To launch the library on World Book Day, a special appearance was made by Horton the Elephant from Dr Seuss’s famous story “Horton hears a Who!” This was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with representatives from the school, Novus Holdings and Breadline Africa in attendance.

Prince George Primary School principal, Ms Lameez Rabbaney, said that the new library will provide a safe space for the children to read, imagine and express their creativity.

“The Lavender Hill area is known for extreme gang violence and is not an easy environment to grow up in. In the Cape Flats, there is a notion that crime pays; if you want a good life, joining a gang is perceived to be the easiest way to get this. Many of the learners who attend our school are constantly reminded of this. The impact of the library will be felt for years to come, not only on the school children, but also the community. We hope that the books inspire the learners to make a positive contribution to society,” said Rabbaney

Marion Wagner, director of Breadline Africa added that the school was a deserving beneficiary of the library.

“Prince George Primary has more than 1,000 English and Afrikaans students attending the school, but has never had a designated library area. With literacy being a real concern for the school, we have seen how hard Ms Rabbaney and her team have worked to remedy this.”

The donation of the library facility was coordinated by Breadline Africa, a charity organisation that aims to provide safe learning spaces for children.