By Mbali Vilakati
MBABANE – SOS Children’s Villages officially signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the Eswatini National Libraries Services.
The collaboration between the two organizations seeks to promote literacy, education, social inclusion, and equality for children who have lost parental care and those at risk of losing parental care to enhance academic success and lifelong.
This will be done through providing free and equitable access to library services and a broad range of human knowledge, experience, information, and ideas, and the use of new technologies for young people under the care of SOS.
According to SOS Children’s Villages Communication Coordinator Temalangeni Dlamini the MOU was signed by the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Phesheya Dube on Wednesday (July 24, 2024. Dlamini said the MOU will be effective from August 1, 2024 to 2027.
She further said every child and young person have a right to education. Many children in the country and worldwide are denied their right and are excluded from inclusive quality and transformative education. Children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education and training.
SOS Children’s Villages and the Eswatini National Library Services, share the same interest of empowering children and young people through the promotion of quality education, focusing on the child and young person as a resourceful individual with unique skills and capabilities.
Present during the signing of the MOU was Director of the Eswatini National Library Services Dudu Kunene, SOS Children’s Villages Director Phindile Nhleko among others.
Nhleko said the core business of the organization is to empower children and young people to shape their future.
“We support young people to prepare for independence, helping them gain access to higher education, vocational skills training, mentorships and internships through initiatives such as Youth Can. As we support the children and young people in shaping their future, it is critical to also cultivate a culture of reading as this will support in increasing their educational outcome,” she said.
SOS Children’s Villages is driven to establish partnerships with national and local governments and community-based organizations to empower communities and parents to develop and strengthen educational programmes and support whereas Eswatini National Library Services, on the other hand, is in the same drive of collaborating with strategic partners to attain her vision, mission, and business objectives.
