Our new Media and Literacy Trainer will support, most of the Eastern Cape province school libraries provided by Matthew E Russell Foundation (MERF). We are excited about our future and the educational impact we are making in the rural regions of South Africa. Our hope is to alleviate poverty with literacy and equip learners to move forward into higher levels of study and education.
We welcome Ntombifuthi Gladness Phakathi known also as Futhi, to MER Foundation as the new Media and Literacy trainer. She is the librarian for Ithongasi FSS, a school of excellence, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Ithongasi FSS, was the first school to receive a donated library in 2012; dedicated in memory of Matthew Russell and therefore became the launch of the foundation.
Futhi started her journey in early 2018 as the school librarian at Ithongasi school. Within one year, this rural school under her supervision won the Excellence Award for all school libraries in all of KwaZulu-Natal. Her oversight of the library has spurred a passion for reading and learning with both the educators and learners at the school campus. This ultimately brings unity of purpose to provide the best educational environment and hands up training for both learners and educators. As a result of the collaboration and hard work, in 2020 their school was asked to host and launch a Reading Strategy in which the South Africa’s Minister of Education, the Honorable Mrs. Angelina Motsekga, along with her cabinet members attended this event at Ithongasi FSS. This was a great honor esteemed to this rural school, and to MERF as the library donor.
Consequently, we realized that Futhi’s passion and knowledge could assist with the foundations yearly mission to provide additional libraries in that region. She agreed to help oversee compliance standards and to assist schools with submission of their quarterly reports to MER.
Futhi has proved herself to be an asset for our school libraries and their sustainability to inspire literacy and learning through reading, in each of the school campuses that are centralized to a local village.
Ideally, we want each of our school libraries to have someone or a committee of people that can meet the following qualifications to fill the role of a librarian on the school campus.
Our Media and Literacy trainer position is the oversite to standardize and maintain this environment and culture within each MERF school library that is donated.
The MERF Goals:
- Willing to take on the challenge of building relationships with learners
- Enthusiastic about developing and growing the library
- Assist young readers and motivate them to read more
- Create innovative library programs to increase its usage by all grade levels
- Maintain a clean, fun, and warm environment
- Organize and train others to locate information or books
- Foster a LOVE of reading
This new role entails monthly onsite training and coaching to organize resources within each library location. Implement school wide reading programs and improve usage by all grade levels within the school. Futhi is helping each school’s culture to develop a library committee team that can train others on how to maintain and grow their library to be a vital resource for their school.
