We helped build a library in Africa – now let’s buy them a mini-bus to make it mobile!

SPONSOR THE BURNING EYE TEAM AS THEY CLIMB BEN NEVIS:

WE HELPED BUILD A LIBRARY NOW LET’S HELP BUY A MINI-BUS!

The Thembalethu Library in Nkomazi in South Africa built in 2013 by UK based charity Za Foundation of which Burning Eye’s Kate Birnie is a Director. Kate was integral to the library build project and our friends in the poetry world ensured that it has an eclectic poetry section (both the Scottish Poetry Library and the Poetry Library – and a whole bunch of poets – made donations for instance). The library serves one of the poorest areas of South Africa, Nkomazi which has an HIV infection rate of over 40%- one of the highest in South Africa and the world. Unemployment is estimated to be around 70% and there are over 12’000 orphans and vulnerable children. Prior to the library being opened local people had no access to books and even the schools had access to very few non-academic texts. The library has already been a huge success and the scene in the picture is an every day event. Za Foundation also run an educational music and drama group Zakhele who travel around schools and clinics running educational workshops about HIV/Aids and other health and life-skill issues. Zakhele also run after school clubs at the Library for orphans and vulnerable children. The next project is to raise funds to purchase and run a mini-bus. This will: A. enable Zakhele to travel more safely in doing their good work but also to increase the reach and regularity of that work and B. Allow more children to access the facilities provided by the library. To raise money for this project Kate will be leading a fund raising team as they climb Ben Nevis in August – including Burning Eye poet-editor Clive Birnie. Every penny Za Foundation raise is spent locally in Nkomazi. All the UK Directors and volunteers work unpaid, so any money you donate in sponsoring Kate and Clive will be spent helping to change lives in one of the poorest regions of South Africa. Thank you for reading. You can sponsor / donate here at our Virgin Money Giving page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KateBirnieCliveBirnie