1 April 2009

Re: Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project
“Changing lives and raising literacy levels”
Sikhula ngokubhala

Dear

The Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project would like to invite you to attend our annual book launch and book handover in September 2009 in the Durban City Hall.

The Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project is a non profit company that was launched in 2004 in response to the poor literacy levels evident in South Africa. The company’s focus revolves around mentor training, the origination of books as well as printing and distribution of books to rural and township schools.

Since 2004, 25 000 new books have been printed and distributed to rural and township schools nationally. More than 300 mentors have been trained and  more than 300 new books have been published. This approach has proved to be extremely successful, in the Shine Centre, Cape Town, for example, literacy levels have increased from 50% to 82.7%. Of particular interest are the numbers of child authors from disadvantaged backgrounds that have been published. Talent that would otherwise have passed uncelebrated.

This year our aim is to donate 200 book packages of 40 books  to 200 principals of disadvantaged schools in the eThekweni District. One package of 40 new books costs
R1 000,00. R200 000,00 more must be raised in order to make this event a success. Any
R1 000,00 unit of this amount of R200 000,00 would help make an exciting event that would increase literacy. This is a private initiative and receives no state funding. Private clubs wanting to publish anthologies also require sponsorship of R3 500,00 which pays for the origination of the book and cover design, books for the club and books to give away to disadvantaged schools.

We hope to elevate the profile of the Project. It is expected that 2000 people from civil society, government, business, and academia will attend. We would like the media to partner with us in ensuring the success of this event. This may be achieved by assisting us in various ways such as in obtaining sponsorships from your publications, sponsored spaced in your publication, introductions to potential sponsors, covering the event in your publication, sponsoring a press release, etc.

The Director and Founder of the Dancing Pencils Literacy Development Project, Felicity Keats Morrison will be available to conduct one on one interviews should you so request. Club Publicists will also assist with interviews.

Thank you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely
Felicity Morrison
Director