Clairwood, KZN
On 11 October 2023, in celebration of International Day of The Girl Child, the hopes and dreams of Durban South Primary School (the only all-girls primary school in South Durban) were realised. On this day, we established the school’s first library and 8 Foundation Phase classroom book corners, proudly sponsored by the AES Charitable Trust. A total of 1923 books fill the shelves, as well as a variety of educational resources and games, making this a dream library for every little girl who enters it.
The launch day was an emotional one as the school hosted the LEARN team and volunteers, the AES Charitable Trust, media and representatives from the Department of Education at a special launch assembly, led by the principal, teachers and learners in the school. Highlights were the beautiful dance items, powerful poetry and moving rendition of the song, ‘Scars to your beautiful’, by Alessia Cara, sung by two of the school’s learners.
676
LEARNERS
1
LIBRARY
8
BOOK CORNERS
1923
BOOKS
Transformation takes teamwork
The establishment of The Durban South Intersen Library is one of our most extreme transformations. With the shared vision of The LEARN Project and Essentials Building, led by Shan Goudin, a plan was made to transform an existing small room with an interleading computer room and separate storage room into a beautiful, open-plan library. The teachers assisted in cleaning out the original makeshift library and discarding damaged books to make way for the new library to come. Set-up day was a joyous occasion as we finally got to create a library that dreams are made of. Teachers and library monitors were also equipped and empowered on our library training course, ready to embrace their new resources.
”“The girls are so excited to come into the library and read the books. Before today, most of them didn’t know what a proper library looks like ; some of them live in communities where they don’t have access to libraries. I am so excited that our dream of a functional library has come true.”
— SIPHUMELELE SITHOLE, DURBAN SOUTH ENGLISH TEACHER
A picture speaks a thousand words
From start to completion, this is Durban South’s transformation story.
