8-year-old UK girl shares love of reading with book donation to KZN
Where there's a will, there's a way, and this young girl is living out this saying in the most inspiring way.
The love of reading and books is not always attainable for many communities worldwide. And while it may be a global issue, it becomes even more real and worrisome when it's happening to school kids in our beloved province, KwaZulu-Natal.
World Book and Copyright Day was held in April and is set aside to promote the love of reading and books. However, children in schools in the northern parts of KZN, particularly Nkandla, cannot celebrate this day much.
When Althaeá Dickinson, an eight-year-old from York, England, learned that children from this area could not enjoy World Book Day, she made it her personal mission to change this.
In 2024, Dickinson became the youngest Bambisanani Partnership volunteer and made a stellar contribution of 1,091 reading books to primary schools in this KZN region.
Our learners are loving reading the diverse range of books that she has provided. She contacted me earlier in the year to ask what kind of books my learners would like. Gaining a love of reading now will have a massive impact on their futures. It is wonderful that one so young can be so thoughtful about other children in the world.
This year, Dickinson contributed 1,164 books. Her donation stems from her passion for reading and books and the belief that all children should have access to storybooks.
Bambisanani volunteers from St. Mary’s School and Newcastle College in the United Kingdom brought the books to South Africa. They were delivered to Thembinfundo Special School, Vumanhlamvu Primary School, Ngqomzana Primary School and Doremi Day Care Centre for orphans and vulnerable children.
According to the Good Things Guy, Priscilla Guliwe from the KwaZulu-Natal Department for Education said: "Our children are enjoying the books, and reading is improving their life chances. They can now read the books without supervision, which is becoming a hobby. South Africa loves you, Althaeá!"
Althaeá's spirit, dedication, kindness, love of reading and books, and drive to make a difference in other children's lives stand as a true testament to the idea that it starts with one person. It just takes one person to make a difference.
Far too often, we feel depleted by the idea of affecting change in our communities because we don't see the impact that one person can make. However, this young girl displays the right amount of motivation to set us on a different path.
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