Why We Exist
A MAJORITY OF RURAL SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA
HAVE NO FUNCTIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM.
LIBRARIES ARE PORTALS TO ALL OF THE
WORLD’S KNOWLEDGE…
Yet people in rural and poor communities are the least likely to have access to information and use it to their benefit to improve their daily lives. MER first began building libraries in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a rural area where schools, funding, teachers, and resources are scarce.
The Problem
93%
of schools in the rural areas do not have a library on the school’s campus.
85%
of the population of South Africa lives beyond the reach of a public library.
THERE ARE RURAL COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE BIOSPHERE WHERE CHILDREN HAVE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD THROUGH READING.
The Solution
The MER Foundation supports the establishment of libraries in
under-funded, urban townships and rural schools around the globe…
This Produces…
An Increase Student Literacy Levels
which then…
- Promotes lifelong learning
- Builds self-esteem
- Improves employment rate
- Provides a better quality of life
Better Teaching Methods
which then…
- Creates confidence in teachers, aiding better verbal communication
- Builds skills for technology, offering more options for learning disabilities
- Stimulates adaptibility to change, keeping educators and students current
Community Support for Education Reform
which then…
- Promotes democracy
- Encourages peace and the desire to see growth for local communities
“Today a reader,
tomorrow a leader.”
-MARGARET FULLER, AMERICAN JOURNALIST