Avbob's R57m trolley library donation puts SA youth on the Road to Literacy

TimesLIVE

05-06-2025

Avbob, in partnership with Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUPSA), has announced the 1,000 beneficiaries of the 2025 edition of its annual Road to Literacy campaign.
This is the fourth year the two companies have joined forces to help empower young minds by donating fully stocked trolley libraries to deserving primary schools and educational nonprofit organisations (NPOs) nominated by the public.
The project addresses the ongoing challenges of low literacy and numeracy levels at foundation phase by providing young learners with culturally and linguistically relevant materials in all 11 official written languages.
The 2025 beneficiaries, which include schools and NPOs across SA, were announced at an event at Sandton Hotel in Johannesburg on May 29 — click here to see the full list.
The Avbob Road to Literacy campaign addresses a pressing national priority, the development of foundational literacy and numeracy ... in a way that honours SA's linguistic and cultural richness, ensuring that no child is left behind
Siviwe Gwarube, minister of basic education
This year's Avbob Road to Literacy campaign reflects substantial growth from the 180 library trolleys distributed in its inaugural year, 2022. Each of the 1,000 mobile libraries includes 500 OUPSA books selected to support literacy and numeracy skills in alignment with the CAPS curriculum. The total number of books distributed this year will exceed 500,000, up from 250,000 in 2024.
Speaking on a panel alongside Carl van der Riet, CEO of Avbob Group, Karen Simpson, MD of OUPSA, and Gugu Ndebele, executive director of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube said: 'This initiative is a powerful example of what can be achieved through partnerships. The campaign addresses a pressing national priority, the development of foundational literacy and numeracy, while supporting policy frameworks aimed at integrating diversity into school curricula. It does so in a way that honours SA's linguistic and cultural richness, ensuring that no child is left behind.'
Simpson added that OUPSA's partnership with Avbob reflected its core belief that literacy was a foundation for lifelong learning and opportunity. 'Access to books in a learner's mother tongue has a profound impact on their ability to grasp foundational concepts, stay engaged in the classroom, and remain in the education system. We are steadfast on publishing our books in all of SA's official written languages, and the Avbob Road to Literacy campaign enables us to place these resources directly in the hands of the learners who need them most.'
2025 Avbob Road to Literacy campaign in numbers
• 8,661 — the number of beneficiary nominations received from the public.
• 1,000 — mobile trolley libraries donated to schools and NGOs across SA.
• 500 — OUPSA books each trolley library is stocked with.
• 500,000 — total number of OUPSA books donated.
• R57,000 — the value of each mobile trolley library.
R57m — the total value of the mobile trolley libraries donated.
Each trolley library is valued at R57,000, bringing the total investment for the 2025 campaign to R57m. The trolleys are designed to be mobile, durable, and easy to access in shared or under-resourced learning environments. Along with books that promote reading for enjoyment, they include materials designed to develop numeracy, making the campaign one of the few national projects focused on both reading and mathematics at the foundational phase.
The campaign also continues to grow in reach and engagement. This year's campaign received 8,661 nominations from across all nine provinces, submitted by educators, caregivers, community leaders and members of the public.
Van der Riet said that though the campaign had grown substantially, its original purpose was to provide access to quality education materials, dignity and hope for a better future.
'Literacy and numeracy are academic skills and critical tools for participation, for opportunity, and dignity. They are the building blocks of future learning and the means by which children are empowered to shape their own lives. The Avbob Road to Literacy campaign embodies our belief that meaningful social investment must be both practical and purpose-driven.'
He said Avbob, as a mutual society, existed for the benefit of its members and the wider community. 'At Avbob, giving back to communities is more than a commitment — it's a core part of who we are. We remain deeply guided by our founders' promise of always putting people first, a principle that continues to be the golden thread in everything we do. Through the Avbob Road to Literacy campaign, we aim to support underserved communities in a way that uplifts and empowers them, while respecting their dignity and fostering lasting impact.'
Through the Avbob Road to Literacy campaign, we aim to support underserved communities in a way that uplifts and empowers them, while respecting their dignity and fostering lasting impact
Carl van der Riet, CEO of Avbob Group
Adding to this sentiment, Ndebele said, 'We believe that education is the most powerful tool for changing a learner's future. Literacy unlocks confidence, agency and opportunity. We are inspired by this initiative's focus, and we hope it will ignite a lifelong love of reading in every child who encounters one of these trolley libraries.'
Since 2022, the campaign has evolved from a pilot initiative into one of the most extensive mobile library programmes in the country. Educational experts have long advocated for mother tongue instruction at the early stages of schooling. Research has consistently shown that when children learn to read in their home language, they are more likely to stay in school, perform better academically, and transition successfully to additional languages later in life.
Despite this, access to books in African languages remains limited, especially in underfunded schools. The Avbob Road to Literacy campaign helps address this gap, ensuring that the joy of reading, and the practical foundation of numeracy, are not restricted by geography or circumstance.