The HOPE Recovered Library in Lethabong
The HOPE Recovered Library in the heart of Lethabong is the footprint of the organisation in the township. This dedicated space hosts our flagship initiatives:
- the English Literacy Program which equips primary school children with basic reading skills, Bible knowledge and robotics
- the Youth Discipleship Program which provides high school learners and beyond with a solid foundation for life through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The History of the Library
We came to ‘My Lord Conquers’ (MLC) Church in Lethabong during the first lockdown in 2020 to distribute food to the needy. The queue to get a food parcel was growing longer and longer. The people started to push in the line and fight for a better position in the line. Mothers with babies on their backs were pushed against the fence and some people started to speak bad about us and stir up the crowd. At some point, we decided to leave before the situation got out of hand.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
We realized that the main problem is not poverty or unemployment. The root of the problem is a lack of education. Former president Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We believe that reading is the foundation of all education and is therefore of utmost importance. Former US president Barack Obama said it this way: “Reading is the gateway for Children that makes all other learning possible.”
Nobody owes me a food parcel! I don’t have to fight for it. All provision comes from the Lord. With proper education, a person should be able to type a CV, go knock on doors and find a job.
Gontse offered to do a holiday reading club training to teach the parents and daycare facilitators how to teach their children the basics of reading in a fun way. But nobody attended. They were only interested in receiving food.
“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.”
Barak Obama
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan formulated it like this: “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” As HOPE Recovered, we want to provide this bridge and give people hope. Morgan Freeman called literacy the ladder out of poverty.
Therefore, HOPE Recovered decided to open a library to teach the children how to read. Furthermore, we want the children to have a relationship with Jesus. For that they need to know Him on a personal level. We believe that is only possible if they are able to read the bible for themselves and hear the voice of God through it. With God all things are possible, and their hopes and dreams will become a reality.
As we saw that several shacks on the church property were not in use, we approached the pastor. We are very grateful to MLC Ministries for their welcoming heart and support. They granted us a 36 square meter shack free of charge to establish the Library. On Heritage Day, in September 2020, HOPE Recovered launched the Library for Children in Lethabong. We are grateful for all the books, bookshelves and furniture we received for this project.
We are very proud of the local youth which gets involved and assists the little ones with reading.
Two years later, we could expand the Library and double it in size. Today we have 40 children registered for the English Literacy Program at the HOPE Recovered Library. In 2023 we moved the Youth Discipleship Program into the Library where we meet every Saturday afternoon for bible study and prayer. In 2024 we introduced tablets for independent learning of the children. And in 2025 we introduced LEGO Robotics to challenge those children who are reading well.
Challenges at the Library
Limited Space
The limited space at the Library is restricting the number of participants in our programs, especially the English Literacy Program. In order to attend to each child and to keep the noise level on an acceptable level, we decided to register not more than 40 participants. At the same time we have a waiting list of about 80 children who would also like to participate.
Electricity
Since 2025, the Library has not had electricity. To keep things running, we bring a battery-powered inverter every day to use our lights, fans and equipment.
Water
Water in our community is delivered by trucks, but the deliveries are not very reliable. To make sure the Library stays clean and the children have water to drink and wash their hands, we bring water from our office every week. This helps us keep the Library safe and clean.
English 
Deutsch