The Otto Foundation is raising funds to fill the shelves of a new library at Good Hope Seminary School Cape Town with books that make children want to read.
We are hard at work establishing The Hope Library, a full-service library at Good Hope Seminary High School in Gardens, Cape Town.
Renovating The Hope Library forms part of the school's celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2023. The school currently serves +- 460 girls - most of whom commute to the school daily from disadvantaged areas outside of the CBD.
We value designing beautiful, safe and comfortable library spaces that serve as sanctuaries where children can fall in love with books. Reading for joy has many benefits for young people. It builds empathy, expands horizons, promotes self-knowledge and can have a bigger impact on their educational success than the socio-economic circumstances that they grow up in. To develop a love of reading children must have access to diverse and representative reading material.
"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, or a duty. It should be offered as a gift." - Kate DiCamillo
You can contribute to our fundraising campaign through the Back-A-Buddy platform at this link.
A donation of R150 to R200 will help us buy one book.
A donation of R12 250 means that you have sponsored a whole shelf of 70 books.
A donation of R49 000 will help us fill a whole bookcase!
We aim to raise R180 000 to help us fill the shelves of the Hope Library. You can play a role in getting us to our target!
If you want to make a substantial donation for which you would like to receive a Section 18A certificate (which would allow you to deduct the donation from your taxable income), you may prefer to make a donation via EFT and then get in touch with our team at info@ottofoundation.org to make arrangements for the certificate.
Our bank details are as follows:
Bank: ABSA
Branch Code: 632005
Account Holder: Chris Otto Foundation Trust
Account Number: 9338255033
Email proof of payment to: info@ottofoundation.org
We often get asked whether we accept book donations. We are happy to accept book donations, and will even pick them up in the Cape Town area, provided that:
the books were published fairly recently (or are classics)
the books are only gently used if they are second hand
and that you are very confident that you would recommend these books to a young person that you know.
Thank you for helping us to connect children with the world through books.
Onwards and Upwards,
The Otto Foundation