Books in Homes comes full circle at Penreach

MBOMBELA – One of the most important gifts a child can ever receive is the power of literacy. This was Val Morris’ motivation when she started the Books in Homes project about 18 years ago.
On Thursday the project was handed back to Penreach, which assisted Morris to find it.

“Through Penreach I went to the townships and saw the need for books that children could take home and call their own,” Morris related.

She then started writing basic reading books. Originally they were in English, but with the help of translators offering their services for free, the books were translated into seven of the 11 official languages. Morris was joined by her children, as well as partners from the Rotary Club and the Books in Homes board, who helped her through the years and were also involved in the registration of the initiative as an NGO.

As a tribute to the truly remarkable work Morris has done in the distribution of the books and teaching of children, a grade three pupil was selected by Penreach to read Morris’ bestseller The Little Red Van. Morris was also the very first grade three teacher that Penryn had.

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Other speakers included Morris’ lifelong friend Santie Barrish, who described her literary works as “real books that the rainbow nation could relate to”, and rural primary school teacher Nomsa Magagula, who called Morris “a living library”.

The books are also being used at all Penreach reading camps. The camps are an after-school project where volunteers help children to read. There are 250 reading camps.

Penreach’s Susanna Oosthuizen said they would do all they could to carry the legacy brought forward by Morris and that they hope to reach even further than ever thought possible. The day was truly a homecoming for the project and Morris alike.

READ ALSO: Penreach pupils to represent South Africa overseas 

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