Isithumba Travels Adventure Park, the busy rural tourism and community empowerment initiative in the Valley of 1000 Hills, near Durban, which works in partnership with Green Corridors, has received a generous donation of books from the Denis Hurley Street Lit Project.
This collection of conservation, environment, wildlife, tourism and field guide books will be available to the 60 children who visit iSithumba Adventures after school each day, offering them an opportunity to explore the wonders of nature, sustainability, and the world beyond their village.
Street Lit is a successful initiative of Durban NGO Denis Hurley Centre which cares for the city’s homeless, vulnerable and refugee communities and helps homeless people to work towards becoming financially sustainable. The programme comprises 20 men and women, all of whom are avid readers and have experienced homelessness. They have been trained to run their own micro second-hand book businesses. Public donations of books enable them to sell these and earn a modest living.
Manager of the StreetLit project, Illa Thompson explains the motivation for the donation of books: “We are really fortunate that the public provides us with ongoing donations of books for our project. It has always been our philosophy that any books which are surplus to our requirements or are better suited to be appreciated in a specialist library context, are gifted onto places where they can be enjoyed. We are especially mindful of the limited access many people have to books outside of the city hub and major malls. Knowing about this project, we have been setting aside books which we thought would benefit the children that are being mentored at the centre around tourism, conservation and environmental sustainability, and together with the Street Lit booksellers, we felt it would be hugely beneficial to these youngsters in this community.”
Isithumba Travels Adventure Park falls under the umbrella of the Isithumba Community Development Movement (ICDM) a community-based youth-driven initiative that aims to uplift and empower the youth of this community.
The Park is not only an adventure tourism destination, it is a space where the local community benefits from sustainable initiatives that improve education, environmental awareness, and economic opportunities.
“By integrating nature-based tourism with community upliftment, we aim to create meaningful experiences for visitors while making sure that local youth are exposed to knowledge that empowers them to shape their futures,” says Amimi Mlaba, owner and manager of iSithumba Travels.
“We are so excited to start our library and to give children a chance to read books that stimulate curiosity and a love for the natural world,” says Mlaba. “By giving them access to these books that teach them about wildlife and the environment, we are nurturing a new generation that will care for and protect our natural heritage. This works towards our aim to use tourism as a force for positive change.”
With limited access to libraries in rural areas, many children in iSithumba lack the resources to develop strong reading habits. This donation changes that by providing an informal learning space where they can immerse themselves in books that inspire curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the environment.
Isithumba is looking for donations of bookshelves – and anyone interested can contact Amimi on 065 936 4418
Donations of quality, current, good condition books for the Denis Hurley Centre St Lit project are always welcome. Contact the Centre on 031 301 2240. In order for donated books to be distributed fairly, please donate books to the project bookshop, and not to the individual vendors.
Top image: Amimi Mlaba, owner manager of iSithumba Travels and Adventures which is a partner with Green Corridors, with some of the books donated by the Denis Hurley StreetLit Programme.
Below: Amimi Mlaba, owner manager of iSithumba Travels and Adventures which is a partner with Green Corridors, with some of the books donated by the Denis Hurley StreetLit Programme, with him are (left to right) interns Sfundo Zondi, Thenjiwe Fezeka Magwanyane and Sabelo Sithole, and volunteer Ardan Hirlak from Germany.
