A new library is coming to a Cape Town school that’s never had one! It’s set to be the first of many in the area.
Cape Town, South Africa (05 May 2026) – More young minds are about to be shaped with new books and a dedicated space to imagine! The Otto Foundation and the Rotary Club of Newlands have broken ground on a library at Dryden Street Primary School in Woodstock, Cape Town.
It’s the first step in building a hub of school libraries to serve the Salt River and Woodstock communities, a first for this part of the city.
Dryden Street currently has no library and no librarian, nor does it have a dedicated reading space. Regular access to books just hasn’t been part of life for learners at the school. The new library will be that welcome change, with shelves of age-appropriate books in multiple languages, a trained Otto Foundation librarian stationed full-time at the school, and reading programmes that will run for years to come!
“We don’t drop off books and leave. We build something lasting.” shares the foundation. “We build fully functioning, professionally stocked libraries inside under-resourced schools — and then we stay. Each library is staffed by a trained Otto Foundation librarian who runs structured reading programmes, fosters a love of reading, and works directly with learners, teachers, and the school community over the long term.”
To stock those shelves, the Otto Foundation has launched an online crowdfunding campaign with a goal of raising R100 000. Every rand goes directly to buying books that are chosen specifically for the kids at Dryden Street and belonging to the library for good.
“Every child deserves access to books and the chance to fall in love with reading,” says Kris Miller, Partnerships and Special Projects Manager at the Otto Foundation. “The Dryden Street Dream Library is the beginning of something bigger for this part of Cape Town and we can’t do it without support.”
The campaign runs until 12 June 2026. Follow this link to donate or share the campaign with your network.
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