Meet Awande, an 8-year-old book enthusiast with big dreams and a heartwarming story thanks to Thanda’s mobile library!
The children in ECD currently being supported by the HCI Foundation grant are also able to access books from the mobile library – so far this year, they have borrowed 3 146 books!
The mobile library offering is part of the Thandukwazi Programme Awande participates in with Thanda in her neighbourhood every weekend. It is simple- her facilitator brings a stack of books to the session, and children can choose to borrow books if they want to. Last year, 12 414 books were borrowed by children taking advantage of the mobile library service. Awande’s story is clear and powerful… 
“I am Awande Dlamini (featured above). My favourite book is Shudu (below) because I liked that she became Miss South Africa when no one thought she was pretty. Shudu has short hair, like me.
I am eight years old and in Grade 3, and when I grow up, I want to be a firefighter. Yes, I know not many girls are firefighters, but I want to become one because I want to help people with burning houses and save them. I see a lot of fires, especially with the gum trees over there (pointing at the distance) and I want to help to stop them.
I know that to become a firefighter I have to love school and reading. I like reading IsiZulu books more because I can understand it better and when I read with my friends we can share the stories we read when we come here (the Thanda Thandukwazi Neighbourhood Group) with Sisi Thando (Thanda Facilitator). The books Sisi Thando have beautiful pictures, they make me laugh and teach us.
I am good at IsiZulu because I speak it (she laughs), and my granny is very good at telling stories, so I listen to the stories she tells and I try to tell stories like her. I read with my granny in the afternoon when I come back from school, and sometimes I read for my father. He’s really busy. He works with a lot of bricks and lifting. They are building that house now (pointing at a half-built house in the distance), so I read Shudu to him to make him relax.
I would be very sad if Sisi Thando did not lend us any books. (she pauses and asks) Why? Is Sisi Thando not going to borrow us books? (Bongeka responds No, my friend- you can still borrow books).
I love books. I love books very much. I like reading with my friends sometimes. My friends are Asimbonge and Ayabonga. We read together, laugh at the stories and see the different colours. Sometimes, when one of us does not know a word, we sit together and try to sound it until we get it. Shudu had a lot of big words. Yes, I felt happy that I could now read all the words.
Yes, I would like to read more books so I can read faster and understand all the words in the book. We are doing AmaNdebele with Sis Thando, and I would like an isiZulu book about the Ndebele people so I can understand more. No, I did not know that there were people called amaNdebele. Did you know that some Ndebele words sound like isiZulu? (Asking Bongeka). I know that, and I would like to see what else is the same in the books Sisi Thando said she would find for us”.
Gogo MaMsomi Dlamini: Awande’s Grandmother
“Well, Awande is generally a quiet child, but she actually comes out of her shell and is very loud when she is around her age mates. You should see the commotion on Saturdays when she gets ready to go to Thanda and her friends wait outside, so that they can walk together. They get very excited.
As you can see for yourself, our area does not have many resources, so having Thanda in our community and gathering all these children has been very good. When I come back from the farm, here in Ekuthuleni or just before I go to water my plot, I sit with her so she can read for me. She reads in English and IsiZulu, but it is more IsiZulu books that I enjoy hearing her read.
It is very important that our children do not lose their mother tongue, and I am very happy that Thanda gives our children the opportunity to learn in IsiZulu.
Yes, I do sit in the reading sessions the young lady (Mafiki- Thanda Home Visitor) brings to us. So these books are really important not only for our children but for us too.
I do not think our children would receive these books anywhere else if it was not for Thanda. Let us be honest: at school, they get the basic education that they need, but with Thanda… I don’t know; Thanda helps these children. Awande is inseparable from her books. She likes reading this book Inunu and what’s the other one called… Shudu. Our children are able to see and know other things and people.
When I was Awande’s age, getting to Standard 2 was a big thing. People would say you’re smart enough to become a teacher (she laughs), but now my grandchildren have the opportunity to continue learning, learning in school and even at home. I am well aware of that opportunity. That is why I encourage Awande to continue reading, asking if she does not know, because there is so much to learn in the world, and it all starts with these books she brings home from Thanda.”
Source: Angela Larken from Thanda.
Read more on Thanda https://thanda.org
