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Oprah Opens South Africa School with State-of-the-Art LibraryCelebrities lined up January 2 in the small town of Henley-on-Klip, in the Gauteng province of South Africa, to back Oprah Winfrey as she opened her new $40-million Leadership Academy for Girls. Designed to raise girls from poverty to positions of leadership, the academy is equipped with a state-of-the-art library. Built on a 52-acre campus, the 28-building complex also includes computer and science labs, a theater, and a wellness center.Nelson Mandela, whom Winfrey credited with inspiring her to build the school, attended the opening ceremony. The antiapartheid leader who became South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994 told Winfrey, “This is not a distant donation but a project that clearly lies close to your heart.” The school will enable poor children, grades 7 through 12, from all over South Africa to attain an education that would otherwise be impossible. “These girls deserve to be surrounded by beauty, and beauty does inspire,” Winfrey told Newsweek. I wanted this to be a place of honor for them because these girls have never been treated with kindness. They’ve never been told they are pretty or have wonderful dimples. I wanted to hear those things as a child.” Other celebrities in attendance included Sidney Poitier, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Chris Tucker, and Spike Lee. The guests were asked to bring a personally inscribed book for the library. Donations ranged from self-help manuals to titles in the Harry Potter series. Winfrey said she brought the celebrity entourage because “these people have the power to do things; they have voices which can be heard in the U.S. and across the world.” Last August, Winfrey handpicked the first 73 of the 450 students who will eventually attend the Leadership Academy. To qualify, the girls must come from households with a monthly income of not more than 5,000 rand (about $787) and must have exhibited academic talent and leadership ability in their communities. The average class size is to be 15. The TV talk-show host said she plans to open another school this month, for boys and girls, in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. Posted January 8, 2007. |
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