According to Dr Reineth Prinsloo, chairperson of the Faculty of Humanities Community Engagement Committee and coordinator of the project, “the book donation project is not a once-off 67 minutes of service, but a sustainable and long-term project which will add value to lives of learners. A group of Faculty members will visit and monitor the schools’ reading progress in the Foundation Phase”.
Dr Molly Brown of the Department of English, who has a special interest in children’s literature, said that by opening a library door to someone, one also opens a door to opportunities, to critical thinking and to empathy and tolerance for difference. “By participating in this project, our students can become ambassadors for future generations,” she added. 

                
The Dean, Prof Norman Duncan, and                          Dr Molly Brown                              Prof Hennie Stander
Dr Reineth Prinsloo, coordinator of the      
project

The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof Norman Duncan, together with one of his Deputies, Prof Hennie Stander and Heads of the language departments, also donated books to add to the 1 000 already collected. Prof Hennie Stander donated a book that he himself had written, and Mrs Refilwe Ramagoshi of the Department of African Languages donated books that she had translated into Setswana.

A public lecture in support of the University’s book drive to encourage reading among young children, particularly in primary schools, will be presented at the University of Pretoria on 30 July 2013 by Mr Chris van Wyk, a prominent and popular writer and the author of the book Shirley Goodness and Mercy.

          
           Ms Rafilwe Ramagoshi                        Prof Andries Wessels                               Prof Adelia Carstens