The very first library in Kalbaskraal has opened, giving new opportunities to the community to learn, grow and connect over what for some will be a newfound love of reading in this safe haven.
Kalbaskraal, South Africa (15 November 2023) — For the community in Kalbaskraal, the official opening of a new library was also a first. Saskia’s Place Library has, in a very short time, become a treasure chest of chances for people of all ages in Kalbaskraal; to learn, to grow and to connect over what for some will be a newfound love of reading.
Thanks to incredible fundraising efforts by NGO No Stone whose Director ran the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland, many good things have come as a result. Saskia’ Place Library is one of them, as Tim Barry from No Stone tells Good Things Guy.
The grand opening was described by the No Stone team as a “spectacle of wonder, with the little ones bubbling with anticipation.”
The NGO went on to add that when it came to the first storytime, the response was overwhelming as joy turned pages.
The preparations were long and made possible many volunteering hands. From crafting shelves to painting walls, organising books and turning the little spot into a packed haven, the library’s opening was also a reflection of what is possible when enough people believe in the same dream.
But, it is also a place that honours the loss of local teenager Saskia, with whom the library shares its name.
As eyes sparkled with the thrill of a new place to unleash curiosity, it also became evident to the team that much needed to be done to make sure that literacy abilities were strong.
“The depth of the educational challenges some children face became evident. Thirteen-year-olds and eleven-year-olds struggling to read highlighted the urgency to address this issue.”
As such, Saskia’s Place Library will also be a space for teaching through the reading champions class—a ‘lifeline of literacy’.
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