As part of their drive to play a role in promoting literacy in the country and celebrate Youth Day, Times Media Films, Mango Airlines and Exclusive Books handed over 15 boxes full of books to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) on Thursday, 15 June 2017.
The handover follows a book collection drive in conjunction with the release of the movie THE BFG: THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT for the hospital’s opening.
Selected Nu Metro and Ster Kinekor cinemas, Exclusive Books outlets and Mango check-in counters were used as deposit points for the public to donate new and well-read books.
The donations were aimed at collecting books for the children admitted to the hospital to read.
Next Entertainment, the distributors of the DVD have also come on board and have donated DVD’s of the movie for the kid’s enjoyment. In addition to that, 20 more DVD’s from Next that consist of various children’s titles were donated.
Ms Christiana Kossioris, business manager for Independent Studios at Times Media Films, said they are happy to have had an opportunity to impact the lives of children. “As a company we strive to give back and this was a great way to get the South African public involved and give them an opportunity to give back to a really worthy cause. Being in a position to donate books to children who are hospitalized and in need of some distraction was something we really wanted to do,” she said.
Ms Pinky Mashigo, COO of the NMCH Trust expressed her appreciation on the donation.
“As we look forward to welcoming our first patients at the hospital, we are grateful to Times Media Films, Mango, Exclusive Books and everyone around the country who came together to ensure that our patients’ stay here is that much more comfortable. We encourage everyone – young and old – to keep the culture of reading alive,” she said.
Exclusive Books’ CEO, Mr Benjamin Trisk, said they are proud to have partnered with NMCHT on this initiative. “This will ensure that those visiting the hospital’s oncology ward will have a range of material to read. The Hospital can count on our continued support in the years to come,” he said.
Pumla Luhabe from Mango also expressed their satisfaction in playing a part in the initiative and said that they would be very happy to take part in any future initiatives of this nature.
