Only 8% of township schools across South Africa have functioning libraries. BBDO SA, through its non-profit advertising agency, MAL Foundation, aims to change this with its SEED Library project.
The library prototype was launched on 5 September at the M C Weiler Primary school in Johannesburg’s Alexandra Township.
The library stature and the vision to roll this literacy project out nationally have captured the attention of the Education Department with Gauteng MEC Barbara Creecy attending the launch to lend her support and deliver a speech. This imitative has been recognised as a serious attempt by business to change the poor literacy situation at township level.
Prominent SA advertising man, Mike Schalit, is the project initiator. He is also the Founder of the MAL Foundation, co-founder of Net#work BBDO and creative head of BBDO SA. As a responsible leader of the advertising industry he intends for this new vibrant library, creatively built from shipping containers, to be the blueprint for other like-minded leaders to follow.
George Sombonos, whose company, Chicken Licken, is funding the library, says Government can’t do this alone. “They need business to step up and build more libraries. It would take about another 1 200 companies to complete this doable task.”
Another top dignitary who is throwing his weight behind this project is Advocate George Bizos. He is a long time campaigner for equal education and a supporter of One School, One Library. Bizos is excited that business is actively doing something about literacy. He says, “Education is an essential ingredient for a prosperous life.” He quotes Aristotle: “Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.”
“There are a few reasons we dubbed it SEED,” says the philanthropically-minded Schalit. “Beyond standing for ‘School Extended Education Design’, we hope to inspire a national township literacy movement by planting a seed in the minds of all our corporate leaders to ‘adopt’ a township school, spend a slice of their social responsibility budgets and build more libraries. We desperately need to increase reading in SA, grow all young minds and help fill our country’s great educational void.”
Flaki Ramothata, head mistress of the MC Weiler Primary School, is overwhelmed with this new development at her school which currently educates 1 400 students from Grade R to Grade 6. “Our pupils are so excited at the prospect of their own library. We are truly blessed.”
Other companies that have helped make this possible are the Architects of Justice who pioneered and helped create the original design and Dymand Engineering that integrated the smart pragmatic ways to construct it.
The MAL Foundation, which stands for the duality of MakeALiving-MakeALife and now coincidentally and pointedly ‘MakeALibrary’, is the first and only non-profit ad agency in SA. This altruistic ‘brother’ of successful advertising agency Net#work BBDO was set up in 2008 to enable creativity to make a difference in society symbiotically with generous brands.
According to Schalit a generous brand is a better connected brand. “The future of this country and indeed the world is dependent on companies and government understanding that doing good for society is good business and those who care will win.”
Schalit says this has been MAL’s largest and most ambitious venture to date. “For this project, we are both client and creator and our whole country and our very future is the canvas.”
OTHER MAL PROJECTS
The MAL Foundation has a lot to be proud of to date; its world acclaimed Nedbank solar panel billboard inspired a whole new genre of “advertising for good” locally and globally. MAL also helped launch SHOUT – South Africa’s pioneering movement for a safer country and John Perlman’s visionary grassroots football programme – The DreamFields Project. It also has an ongoing alliance with Francois Pienaar’s M.A.D Foundation to help address the country’s most crying need – education.
Any company interested in building their own township library can contact Lauren on 011 912 0000. Any company that would like to make a contribution to growing the SEED please visit: http://www.givengain.com/cause/3426/#.T6meIlrxD8M.email cause 3246. For more, see MAL Foundation facebook page.
Learners watching the construction.
Project Initiator, Mike Schalit, from the MAL Foundation & BBDO SA.
The finished library.
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