BERSEBA– The joy lit up Pauline Willemse’s face (16), a Grade 9 learner at Kaitsi !Gubeb Combined School at Berseba in the !Karas Region as she puts back an encyclopedia’s in the bookshelf at the newly-launched library at her school.
“I am grateful that we have received a library. We do not read. We need to read to improve ourselves but we could not because there was nothing to read. We do not need anything anymore, because we now have a library and Information Technology lab,” she further lightens up as she lowers herself to put the books into the lower shelves of the library. “We need things like this because children drink a lot and stand around and zula. Some of them also do drugs and marijuana. Those that do that are the ones that stay with the big men who are not working and just sitting around at the bars,” says Willemse with a helpless expression on her face.
But she turns around admiring the new set of books the school received with the new IT Lab and library from Old Mutual Namibia. “I am very happy, at least now our children can start a new modern life. It will really help our children a lot and enable them to expand their knowledge,”says Magrietha Esterhuisen, one of the parents whose children are attending the Kaitsi !Gubeb Combined School here.
By Jemima Beukes