“You have turned our library into a mad house!”

Those were the words of a library monitor learner at Sithengile High School, who was referring to the fact that FunDza books keep their library filled to the brim with learners wanting to access the books. The learners at the school were all a-buzz at the FunDza visit with myself and Dorothy all the way from Cape Town.

Upon our arrival we were ushered by two of the school’s library monitors along with Caroline, one of the Fulbright scholars.  Caroline works along with Leila, also from Fulbright; they assist the learners at Sithengile with some of their subjects and help run the library.  Their library is small but well resourced with a wide variety of books. 

According to Caroline, most of the books are subject-related, however, the FunDza books are more general and speak to the social issues to which the learners easily relate. Hence they are highly popular. 

Once again, Sugar Daddy was loved by many. We’re not sure if it’s the title, or what?!  The Sithengile high school library is also the model library for Pinetown quintile 5 schools. This is not surprising given that it is so efficiently run by the learners.

The learners are trained by an accounting teacher who loves reading. She was an amazing woman – striking and with great passion.  Judging from her interaction with the learners, the learners seemed to really like their teacher and she motivates them to work hard. 

The monitors are responsible for ensuring the books are returned to the library, clearly documented and, if necessary, they issue fines for late returns.  The fine money covers the costs of the daily running of the library i.e. the tea that was given to us by the teacher. Sithengile learners have made the library their hiding place during free periods, breaks, lunch and whenever the teachers are absent.

We left the school feeling really touched and proud to see that FunDza books were having an impact on the lives of the learners of Sithengile.