The Alexandra Children's Library began initially in a shipping container. [1] However, this vital community resource has been transformed into the Alexandra Multi-Purpose Community Centre. The library is located in the heart of Alexandra, a township in the eastern part of Johannesburg. It serves the children and youth of Region E and the library is dedicated to fostering a love for reading and learning in a safe and supportive environment. [2]
The Alexandra Children's Library offers a range of facilities and services tailored to meet the needs of young readers. These include:
The Alexandra Children's Library plays a crucial role in the community by providing a safe and nurturing environment for children to explore books and learning. It serves as a cornerstone for educational development in the area, helping to bridge the gap in educational resources available to children in Alexandra.
The library works in partnership with local schools, non-profit organizations, and government entities to maximize its impact. These collaborations help in sourcing books, funding programs, and organizing events that benefit the local youth.
Nkosi's Haven is an NGO in the Johannesburg, South Africa area that offers residential, holistic care and support for mothers and their children whose lives have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. Nkosi's Haven also provides support for orphans, HIV/AIDS affected or not. It aims to improve the productivity of their residents through providing access to medical care, therapy, education and skill building workshops. The goal is to empower residents while providing a safe, dignified home in hopes that all mothers and children are able to become responsible and contributing members of society.
CIDA City Campus was an accredited university, founded in 2000, located in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg. It offers three year degrees in Bachelor of Business Administration.
A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public or private school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of the school library media center is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access "to books and reading, to information, and to information technology." A school library media center "uses all types of media... is automated, and utilizes the Internet [as well as books] for information gathering." School libraries are distinct from public libraries because they serve as "learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize the school's curriculum... A school library serves as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school."
The South San Francisco Public Library is located in South San Francisco, California. It is an independent city library and part of the Peninsula Library System, a consortium of city, county, and community college libraries in San Mateo County. The library holds approximately 166,000 volumes and has 29,000 borrowers. In the fiscal year 2007–2008, the library circulated 687,000 items. The library provides access to homebound delivery services, numerous children's programs, a literacy program, a community learning center, 77 public computers, and free Wi-Fi.
The Museo Pambata or the Children's Museum, is a children's museum in the Ermita district of Manila, near Rizal Park, in the Philippines. It is located in the former Elks Club Building, built in 1910, along Roxas Boulevard at the corner of South Drive.
Susan Neuman is an educator, researcher, and education policy-maker in early childhood and literacy development. In 2013, she became Professor of Early Childhood and Literacy Education, and Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
A sighted child who is reading at a basic level should be able to understand common words and answer simple questions about the information presented. They should also have enough fluency to get through the material in a timely manner. Over the course of a child's education, these foundations are built on to teach higher levels of math, science, and comprehension skills. Children who are blind not only have the education disadvantage of not being able to see: they also miss out on the very fundamental parts of early and advanced education if not provided with the necessary tools.
Skateistan is a non-profit organization that uses skateboarding and education to empower children. Over 2,500 children, aged 5–17, attend Skateistan's programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. 50% of students are girls. Through their innovative programs, Outreach, Skate and Create, Back-to-School, Dropping In and Youth Leadership, Skateistan aims to give children the opportunity to become leaders for a better world. Skateistan has Skate Schools in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The international headquarters is in Berlin, Germany.
Friends-International (FI) is an international social enterprise and registered non-governmental organization focusing on children's empowerment established in Cambodia in 1994. Its mission is "to build a future where all children are safe from all forms of abuse, are able to become productive citizens of their countries and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world." FI works in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand and with almost 50 partners around the world, providing social services to marginalized urban young people and their families.
Busolwe Public Library, or the BPL, is a small community library in the village of Busolwe, eastern Uganda. The library consists of two schools and a center for Early Childhood Development (ECD) in order to improve the overall reading culture in the locality and to serve as an extension for learning beyond the classroom. It is part of the Uganda Community Libraries Association (UgCLA).
Founded in 1965, the Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc. (CPC) is one of the largest non-profit providers of educational, social, and community services for Asian-Americans in the United States. It now services over 8,000 people daily through some 50+ programs at over 30 locations citywide. It administers early childhood, school-age child care, youth, community, workforce development, and senior services. Its mission is to serve the Chinese-American, immigrant, and low-income communities in New York City by providing services, skills, and resources towards economic self-sufficiency.
Rabbi David Masinter is a Rabbi, Founder and Director of the Miracle Drivers annual charity drive, and Director of Chabad House in Johannesburg.
Street Library Ghana (SLG) is a volunteer-driven, social enterprise based in Ghana that aims to improve the life chances of children and youth in vulnerable communities by addressing literacy and education issues.
Lael Bethlehem is an expert in urban development. She was director of economic development at the City of Johannesburg from 2002 to 2005 and chief executive of the Johannesburg Development Agency from 2005 to 2010. Prior to those roles, she also served as Chief Director of Forestry at the South African National Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, where she led South Africa’s forestry programme and represented the country in international forestry negotiations. Today, Bethlehem is an investment executive at Hosken Consolidated Investments.
Meadowridge Library is a public library in the suburb of Meadowridge, in Cape Town, South Africa. It has 8,112 members, and was ranked 14th in the City of Cape Town's top 20 circulating libraries in 2014, out of the city's 101 libraries.
Patricia A. Edwards, a member of the Reading Hall of Fame, is a Distinguished Professor of Language and Literacy in the Department of Teacher Education and a Senior University Outreach Fellow at Michigan State University. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in parent involvement, home-school-community partnerships, and multicultural, early, and family/intergenerational literacy with a focus on poor and minority children. She served on the International Literacy Association Board of Directors from 1998–2001, as the first African American President of the Literacy Research Association from 2006–2007, and as President of the International Literacy Association from 2010–2011. Edwards also served as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Family, School, and Community Partnerships Special Interest Group (SIG) from 2014–2016 and was elected to serve as its President-Elect/President from 2016–2020.
Book fairs and literary festivals are held throughout South Africa each year to promote literacy among children and adults. A country's literacy rate is often a key social indicator of development. In 2005, UNESCO Institute for Statistics reported a literacy rate of 94.37% among the population aged 15 years and older. The literacy rate among the male population in this age group was 95.4% and 93.41 for female counterparts. According to Statistics South Africa, functional illiteracy among those aged 20 years or older, was recorded at 15.4% in 2005. This has improved from 2002's 27.3%. Women are more likely to be functionally illiterate across all age groups, apart from those aged between 20 and 39 years old.
Mpho Moerane was a South African electrician, businessman and politician who was the mayor of Johannesburg between October and November 2021. A member of the African National Congress, he previously served as the member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for environment and infrastructure services from December 2019 to September 2021. Moerane was the regional treasurer of the ANC in Johannesburg.
Matshidiso Morwa Annastinah Mfikoe is a South African politician who has served as a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since February 2023. A member of the African National Congress, she previously served as a member of the National Assembly from October 2022 to January 2023 and before that, as a councillor in the City of Johannesburg from 2000 to 2022 and as a member of the mayoral committee from 2006 to 2016 and again in 2021.
The Randburg Library is one of the regional libraries in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The Library serves the township of Cosmo City and the surrounding suburbs; it is situated within the Randburg Civic Centre. It falls under the City of Johannesburg's Region B libraries. Randburg Library is leading the cities efforts to digitally transform libraries with initiatives such as mLiteracy. In August of 2023, the library was gifted with an inverter to enable patrons to use the library during load shedding.