Georges River Council has handed over a donation of $2,043 to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF), funding the purchase and delivery of 204 books to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote communities.
From May to July this year, more than 700 library members took part in the Georges River Libraries' Fines Amnesty, with $20,000 in fines cleared in return for a donation of $1, or more, to the Foundation.
The charity works with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia, running programs and providing culturally appropriate books that focus on early literacy and first language.
Georges River Council General Manager Gail Connolly said, "Council is committed to promoting equity of access for all members of the First Nations community and is supportive of ILF's vision for equity of opportunity for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
"We're pleased to have been able to fund 204 children's books through our library members' donations from the fines amnesty.
"We want to ensure that all children have access to resources that give them the best start in life, both in our Georges River community and beyond."
Since 2010, ILF has supplied over 537,000 books to schools, health care centres and service organisations in over 400 remote communities, with at least 40% featuring Indigenous authors and illustrators.
David Stewart, Relationships Manager at ILF said, "Literacy is a navigation skill. It gives kids the ability to navigate the world around them.
"ILF is community-led, meaning that we listen and respond to the needs of each community and provide the literacy resources requested. These include early learning board books and resources, audios and animations, books for kids and families, and programs to support communities to tell and publish their own stories, in languages they choose.
"We are so grateful for the donation which will provide access to quality books where reading materials are often extremely limited."
