Johannesburg, July 8 (People’s Daily Online) - 61 E-libraries are set up across South Africa, as the e-Libraries program was launched on Tuesday by Vodacom, Huawei together with the Department of Basic Education and the Nelson Mandela Foundation at Vodacom World, Johannesburg.

The e-Libraries program is an educational content application. It is available on Huawei tablets at the 61 Vodacom Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resource centers, which enables learners and community members to read e-books at the centers for free.

According to the South African Book Development Council, only 15% of South Africans have access to a nearby library. "Access to reading material is a major challenge in South Africa.” said Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, "Our aim is to use our technology to help make a difference in the communities where our customers live.”

The 400 Huawei sponsored tablets have been loaded with a collection of e-book content, including genres of African literature, history, business and fiction, and is available in all eleven languages.

“For Huawei, knowledge transfer, the cultivation of talent and skills development is our mission.” said You Jiangtao, Huawei Vice President of East and Southern Africa Region, ”As responsible corporate citizens, we have taken it upon ourselves to narrow the digital gap by investing in ICT talent globally. “

Through this initiative, Huawei, as a Chinese telecom equipment and service giant, has invested in over 100 universities and training institutes to facilitate knowledge transfer. 45 ICT training centers were built around the globe by Huawei or by partnerships with Huawei.

The e-Libraries program was highly appreciated by Sello Hatang, CEO of Nelson Mandela Foundation. He quoted Mandela’s classic lines: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”