The DP World & Motus Community Trust has handed over its 82nd library and resource centre to Golden Gardens Primary School in Sebokeng.
Stocked with 8,000 books and equipped with teaching aids, IT resources, a smart board and sports equipment, this library will serve the school’s 1,034 learners, 36 educators and 10 support staff, creating a lasting impact on the surrounding community.
“As we celebrate International Literacy Day this week, it is fitting to reflect on the impact the DP World & Motus Community Trust has made since its inception twenty years ago,” says Esha Mansingh, Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at DP World and Trustee of the DP World & Motus Community Trust.
“To date, the Trust’s 82 libraries have impacted almost 96,000 learners, over 2,800 educators and 1,460 educator assistants. DP World’s support of the Trust aligns with one of the areas through which we aim to leave a lasting legacy, namely education. These libraries and resource centres play an important role in supporting the youth of South Africa by positively impacting their personal development, as well as their access to future economic opportunities.”
The Trust also employs 113 permanent library assistants and 42 Youth Employment Service (YES) programme employees.
Shayda Arbee, Trustee of the DP World & Motus Community Trust, said: “Our partnerships with underserved schools in Gauteng support the Trust’s aim to not only build physical libraries and resource centres, but to focus on developing literacy and reading skills through a comprehensive and sustainable literacy intervention initiative. Our growth and experiences during the past twenty years have ensured that we can make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve, and today’s unveiling brings us another step closer to our goal of 100 libraries by 2025.”
The unveiling of the library at Golden Gardens Primary School also saw DP World planting 55 trees at the school in celebration of Arbor Week in South Africa, as well as a further 45 trees planned for Lakeside Primary School, which also received a library through the Trust earlier this year.
The trees were planted in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa, a Non-Profit Organisation that addresses food security, environmental sustainability and greening. Trees provide both oxygen and food, two of the most critical elements for life on our planet and key to sustainable environmental management and the trees planted at the schools – a combination of fruit and indigenous shade trees – are estimated to offset almost 37 tonnes of carbon dioxide in their lifetime.
