Message from
the Founders
Willie & Flossie Russell
CEO, Founders, Parents
Matthew E. Russell Foundation, Inc., named after our only son, who passed suddenly and unexpectedly at 22 years old.
Matthew became a role model to many of the kids and youth during his annual mission trips abroad. The local children embraced him as a young leader and were inspired when he would speak at youth meetings as he shared stories and examples from the books he had read.
He would encourage the young people to stay in school, in order to reach their dreams and to help their families have a better life.
We are not sure if he knew he was acting as an advocate for literacy and learning at the time, but the results had the power to change a life and improve the quality of living for individuals, families, and communities.
Matthew shared with us his passion to teach and return to the rural regions of South Africa to work in the school system, after he completed college.
Matthew was an avid reader, as a child he was an early reader even before entering school.
The Rowe Study, says “The more words your preschooler learns before entering kindergarten determines their ability to learn how to read.”
The foundation commemorates Matthew’s dream to teach and his passion for learning, as a result of his love of reading. His legacy will continue to be a reality through each library and media center that the foundation provides every year to underfunded schools in the rural regions of South Africa.
Since 2012
52,900
students have been provided access to a brand new library packed with both E-readers and primary aged books because of the Matthew E. Russell Foundation.
Latest News & Articles
Preparing Shipments for Our Next Library Project
This is a pivotal part of us providing a library to a desiring school. We depend on our annual book drive to bring in the much-needed resources to fill each library.
MERF Announces 2023 Library Project
Ebenezer JSS was established in 1914 in temporary structures erected by the community so that their children could have somewhere to be educated. Over the years additional structures were built to meet enrollment, they are called blocks (for classrooms).
Welcome Our New Media and Literacy Trainer
We welcome Ntombifuthi Gladness Phakathi known also as Futhi, to the MER Foundation family as the New Media and Literacy Trainer for our school libraries. She is the librarian for Ithongasi FSS, a school of excellence, in province of KwaZulu-Natal.