VOLUNTEER students have packed thousands of books for Vanuatu schools after sorting donations from the Redlands community.
The project’s biggest ever book sort day came about after an appeal in the Redland City Bulletin resulted in a flood of book donations.
Library project teams from Cleveland District State High School and Calvary Christian College have been collecting children’s fiction and non-fiction books for the past year.
Community spirit was evident as volunteers from the schools and the community sorted the books into categories, divided them up and packed them into dozens of shipping boxes.
Hundreds of donated kindergarten toys and other equipment were also prepared for shipping.
The chaplain of Cleveland High Neale Collier said the books would help teams from the two schools to establish libraries in four remote schools in Vanuatu.
“Children in these schools have been studying for years without access to books,” he said.
“This is one of the reasons why Vanuatu lags behind in literacy and numeracy.”
Mr Collier thanked everyone who had donated books, including the Rotary Book Shed, many school libraries and local residents.
The teams were also grateful for old school library shelving donated by Cleveland High, Ormiston College and Kimberley College.
Donations of books, bookends, kindy toys, library shelving or sturdy book shelving can still be donated to the project by contacting Mr Collier on 0405 412 432.
