With the 2021 academic year about to kick off, the Hot-Spot Container Library is raising stationery for underprivileged learners in Scottsville.
The Back to School Supply Drive kicked off shortly after Christmas and is aimed at easing the financial burden for parents of about 500 kids who make use of the library services regularly.
“Scottsville has been one of the many neighbourhoods in the city that have been hit hardest by the lockdown because many people lost their jobs,” Terence Crowster who started the library, says.
The Hot-Spot Container Library was founded four years ago and is an initiative of the local non-government organisation, Restoration Youth Development Programme, which focuses on enhancing the learning and development of young children in the gang establishment. It is situated in Dahlia Street which has been considered a hotspot for gun violence for many years.
Crowster says this was done deliberately to steer children away from crime.
In addition to lending out books, the establishment also provides other services such as reading skills, homework, as well as other programmes for the youth.
Regardless of how the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the 2021 academic year, Crowster says the stationery will be of use to its recipients. “If the department orders for online learning like last year, the learners will need stationery to prepare for their tasks. High school, especially matriculants, will make regular use of them throughout the year.”
He explains that enough stationery for at least 150 children has been raised, but cannot be distributed yet. More mentorship programmes and workshops for unemployed youth will be rolled out in the coming months and Crowster says the supplies will come in handy, thus running the drive throughout the year.
- For more information call Terence Crowster on 078 467 0263, email terencecrowster@gmail.com or visit www.restorationyouthdevelopmentprogramme.org.
