THE Hninzigone Home for the Aged in Yangon donated more than 5000 books, which it had collected from well-wishers, to village libraries throughout the country earlier this month, said U Kyaing Myint, an official from the home’s administration department.

He said the collected books and magazines were handed over to the Ministry of Information on February 17 as part of the home’s yearlong celebration of its 75th anniversary.

“We also gave K4000 to cover transportation costs to send the books to the villages,” he said.

Hninzigone, located on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road in Bahan township, issued the call for donations in conjunction with a book fair it hosted at its compound from February 9 to 17, at which 55 bookshops offered 10 percent discounts on their stock.

“Each participating shop donated K3500 a day to the home, which we will use for the benefit of our elderly residents,” U Kyaing Myint said.

He said the fair attracted many book lovers, who were happy to have the chance to see a wide range of books in one place.

“We plan to hold special charity events at least once a month throughout the year to mark our 75th anniversary,” he said. “And in March we’ll hold an opening ceremony for a new three-storey building, which will provide better accommodation for elderly residents.”

U Kyaing Myint said he hoped the ongoing social events would help spread the word about Hninzigone and would prompt more donors to contribute to the well-being of the residents at the home.