Biblionef
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| Motto | Give Them Books Open Up Their World |
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| Formation | 1998 |
| Type | Book Donation Organisation |
| Purpose | To make books available to children and adolescents in all official languages of South Africa, for reading, pleasure and education.[1] |
| Location |
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Region served
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Southern Africa |
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Official language
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English |
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Executive Director
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Jean Williams |
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Staff
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9 |
| Website | http://biblionefsa.org.za/ |
Biblionef South Africa is a book donation non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa. Biblionef donates new storybooks to under-privileged children and adolescents. The organisation donates books to institutions like schools, day care centres, crèches and other organisations with an educational focus in informal settlements and rural areas.[2]
Contents
Background
Biblionef SA is part of an international network of 6 independent non-profit organisations. Max Vegelin van Claerbergen, a former Dutch ambassador, initiated Biblionef in 1989 in France. The name Biblionef derives from "biblio" referring to books and "nef" referring to a ship. The organisation's stated objective is to provide children in disadvantaged areas of the world with new storybooks.[2]
Biblionef SA
Due to South Africa’s education and literacy problems, a Biblionef depot was opened in the SASNEV Building (4 Central Square, Pinelands, Cape Town) in August 1998. Executive Director, Jean Williams, established Biblionef SA under the auspices of Biblionef’s founder, Vegelin van Claerbergen.
The office houses a book stock covering stories in all eleven official languages of South Africa. Biblionef SA operates as an independent, non-profit organization. It is responsible for obtaining and distributing the new storybooks to under privileged children in South Africa. The cost of the books, shipping, warehousing, and administration is covered by funds from foundations, corporations and individuals.[2]
Biblionef differs from many other book donation organisations in 2 key areas:
- Biblionef donates new children storybooks in all the official languages of South Africa.
- Due to the shortage of mother-tongue publications, the organisation works with local publishers and writers to commission the printing of children's books in the African languages.[3]
Results
- Donated 1,241,059 new story books;
- Benefited 7,252 children’s organizations;
- Reached 3,477,000 children
- Donated an average of 12,000 books per month;
- Assisted 51 schools and communities with informal libraries;
- Commissioned the translations and publication or reprints of 83 titles in one or more of South Africa's official languages;
- Supported 21 schools for the visually impaired with braille and large print books.[citation needed]
Awards and Recognition
- Western Cape Government’s Promotion of Marginalised Indigenous Languages Awards – February 2014[4]
