Her dream of a community library now true
When librarian Norah Ngobeni helped an older relative with her night school homework she had no idea how that single act could change her own life and the lives of an entire community
LIMPOPO – When librarian Norah Ngobeni helped an older relative with her night school homework (while she herself was still quite young) she had no idea how that single act could change her own life and the lives of an entire community.
It was during this time that Ngobeni unearthed a love for reading which planted a seed in her to start her own community library years later.
Ngobeni, a mother of two, grew up in a large polygamous family and witnessed her parents’ marriage fall apart. This led Ngobeni’s mom to move away from Mtititi village to Nkuri village outside Giyani. It was in this village that Ngobeni grew up and later invested in.
One of her biggest role models is her mother whose life experiences made her, though uneducated, wise enough to encourage her children – seven daughters and a son- to arm themselves with education.
After matric Ngobeni worked as a nanny and at a convenience store in order to save up to go to university. A few years later she registered for a Bachelor of Information Science at the University of Pretoria. Students had to do community outreaches (taking services offered at libraries to communities) as part of their practical work. Having realised that pass rates at schools in villages with a library were higher, Ngobeni had the vision of seeing Nkuri village with a library.
With permission and land granted by the village chief, a library committee was formed with community members and letters of donation of books written. The response and support have been overwhelming. Ngobeni’s highlight was when she wrote to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and received a response within three days. He kept his promise of sending a delegation of the relevant people from the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, who paid Zamani Community Library a visit.
Four years later, the novelty of having their own library has not worn off, and the community of Nkuri remain appreciative that a young bookworm’s dream came true and benefited them all for hopefully generations to come.
