Dysselsdorp Secondary School Soup-for-a-book initiative

Dysseldorp Secondary School’s Representative Council of Learners (RCL) recently collected textbooks in exchange for soup.

Jennifer Juries, the RCL Teacher Liaison Officer, said many learners who dropped out of school do not always return the textbooks and they had to come up with an idea to retrieve those books.

Maveline Terblaance, the RCL secretary, said she believed that many of the former learners feel embarrassed and that was the main reason why they don’t return the books.

Parents and teachers donated ingredients and two kitchen staff members cooked the soup.

Nashwill Eilers, RCL Deputy Chairperson, said the support was amazing. “We had the support of our Principal, Mr Wagenaar, our teachers, the RCL team, parents, and the kitchen staff. We also got a microphone and speaker from a community member to announce the soup-for-a-book initiative. We walked around with the speaker and the community took notice of us and how invested we are to this project. A RCL member’s grandfather provided a gazebo. So, in all, we had a lot of support, and we are grateful for it.”

Baronique Julies, Vice Secretary, said the initiative was not just about retrieving old textbooks. “It was also an opportunity for us to encourage other schools to take care of their community and to participate in projects like this.”