In December 2021, we donated 5,200 books to kids in need in South Africa through the campaign #beyondthemillion from the organization Exclusive Books. For the campaign’s holiday Santa Shoebox initiative, each child received a personalized shoebox with embroidered face masks, clothing, monogrammed lunch boxes and water bottles, books, and a personal letter from their donors. 

During 2018, the Western Cape of South Africa went through a terrible drought, and the City of Cape Town implemented a “Day Zero” information campaign to brief citizens on the water crisis and to encourage and enforce water-saving initiatives. To do our part, we switched off our water-cooler pumps and provided a number of rationed water bottles for office use. We also installed an upright rainwater-harvesting tank capable of holding up to 200 liters, as well as an additional tray on our roof to collect recycled water to be used for bathroom flushing and the plumbing system. This water-saving initiative helped us significantly reduce our water use, and we remain committed to water-wise practices.

Our fifth anniversary as Penguin Random House in July 2018 provided an unprecedented opportunity to unite around the globe to get more books into the hands of more readers. Through a special anniversary global book donation, we offered every Penguin Random House employee worldwide a selection of free books to donate to any philanthropic or nonprofit organization of their choice. Thousands of our employees joined the campaign, and we were able to provide more than 72,000 books to children and adults in need. Recipient organizations included schools, libraries, hospitals, rural development NGOs, and organizations that serve homeless and incarcerated individuals.

In honor of World Book Day, we celebrated with Orange Grove Primary School in Johannesburg as part of our ongoing campaign to assist young readers with access to books. Through discussions with the school’s volunteer librarian, we learned that each class typically lines up outside the library during breaks to borrow a book. We donated more than 600 books, as well as treats for everyone, and we committed to installing new bookshelves in their library. World Book Day, of course, wouldn’t be complete without authors, and we were joined by author/illustrator combo Elaine Macdonald and Vanessa Mearns (I See an Elephant) as well as author Refiloe Moahloli (How Many Ways Can You Say Hello?), who came to read to the students.

We celebrated Nelson Mandela International Day at Stars of Joy Educare, a nursery in a low- to middle-income suburb of Cape Town. Stars of Joy Educare provides an alternative to parents in need, offering very low application fees and accommodating up to 25 children between the ages of 2 and 5. In addition to volunteering, we donated children’s titles ranging from popular fairy tales to educational titles. Because the event took place in the winter, we also donated 25 new mattresses and thermal blankets. Stars of Joy has a team of unemployed mothers and grandmothers who volunteer their time, and we invited them to join in the celebration, sponsoring a tea-and-cake affair for everyone.