Support the local female judiciary’s book drive
The drive will benefit the children because books are a distraction and a tool to empower and educate.
The South African Chapter of The International Association of Women Judges (SAC-IAWJ) requests the community to support their book drive in honour of the Hendrina Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC).
This centre is an awaiting trial facility that accommodates children between the ages of 12-17.
Many of the juveniles housed within these centres are facing criminal charges such as assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, rape and murder.
“The children held in a CYCC such as Hendrina cannot be released,” said Chetna Singh, member and provincial coordinator of the SAC-IAWJ for Mpumalanga.
She said books are a tool to empower and educate children.
“The book drive aims to give the children literature to keep them occupied,” said Singh.
Singh said the children do not receive the benefit of education and there are almost no support services within these centres, which causes the children to languish.
The drive will benefit the children by using books as a distraction and a tool to empower and educate.
Old or new books about education, fiction, biographies, picture books, historical, adventure, poetry, diaries, classic children’s literature, fairy tales or anything age-appropriate will be welcome.
No dirty, broken or torn/loose/missing pages books will be accepted. Books can be dropped off at these points:
• Secunda and Evander Magistrate’s Courts
• Fireplace Roadhouse
• OK Food (Senecta Centre Secunda)
• Solly’s Supermarket
• Ridge Times (Louwrens Muller Street, near Tupperware)
The deadline is March 23 at all drop-off points.
Members of the SAC-IAWJ are involved in various programmes across nine provinces and aim to empower and advance women within the judicial and legal profession.
Internal programmes are:
• Health and wellness
• The member’s Capacity Building
• SAC-IAWJ Trust
• SAC-IAWJ Journal
• The gala dinner fundraiser
Outreach programmes include:
• Student mentorship
• Moot courts
• Sexual and gender-based violence
• Human trafficking
• Literacy programmes
• HIV & Aids awareness
• Home/institutions (orphanages or safe homes)
To learn more, visit https://www.justice.gov.za/saiawj/
