GIA Collaborates with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to Provide Libraries to Elementary Schools
Gem institute supports foundation’s work in Africa
CARLSBAD, Calif. – July 26, 2013 – The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory at the Nelson Mandela Foundation and GIA (Gemological Institute of America) have signed a Memo of Understanding (MoU) to provide four elementary schools in South Africa with Mandela Day Libraries.
The MoU supports the legacy of Nelson Mandela to ensure sustainability through transformative democracy. The collaboration will support literacy as an empowerment tool and one of the single most important skills for children, providing them with access to further education and life opportunities.
Susan M. Jacques, chair of the GIA Board of Governors, and Sello K. Hatang, Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, met in Carlsbad, CA on July 22 to enact the agreement.
The Mandela Day libraries project began in 2011 with the goal of bridging the gap in literacy and reading proficiency in schools throughout South Africa. By bringing libraries to schools without reading facilities, children gain access to appropriate reading material in their own languages. Librarians are trained to manage the facilities and inspire a love of reading among South Africa’s youth. GIA will provide libraries to two schools in 2013 and two more in 2014.
The Mandela Day Container Libraries are created from large shipping containers that have been recycled and retrofitted with new flooring, insulation, electricity and book shelves. The Institute will also provide a selection of books for each library. Breadline Africa, a nongovernmental organization and internationally registered South African-based charity, is the main partner of the container program.
“We are excited about our new collaboration with GIA. It will present many pupils with an opportunity to improve their literacy and ultimately their lives. Literacy remains an enormous challenge in Africa and is a key priority on the youth agenda,” added Hatang.
“We’re looking forward to growing our relationship with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The first phase of this collaboration will establish libraries in towns where children are underprivileged,” said Bev Hori, GIA’s chief learning officer and vice president of education. “This will be the first time some of these students have had access to books. The Mandela Day Container Libraries are an excellent step in bettering the education, and in turn the lives, of children in Africa.”
GIA has developed education programs in Africa over the past decade to help bring more value from the global trade of diamonds to the countries that are the source of so many gems. GIA’s Junior Gemologist Program™, which gives 10-15-year-old students the opportunity to discover the world of gemology through hands-on, practical training, was introduced in Africa in 2012. The Institute also introduced more than 1,000 African students to gem and jewelry education opportunities at the Career Indaba trade show in Johannesburg in June as part of the seventh annual Africa Education Week.
