Petunia Thulo

National reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali, is launching a loyalty programme for South Africans committed to making a difference in children’s reading development. Known as FUNda Sonke, isiXhosa for ‘everyone read’, the programme seeks to grow and support the campaign’s network of more than 17 000 literacy volunteers, known as FUNda Leaders, nationwide. Launched in 2016 in response to public demand, the FUNda Leader network brings South Africans into the campaign in mentoring children to read and enjoy books and stories. And, while reading regularly brings children many rewards, such as improved school performance, better job prospects and higher levels of self-confidence, the FUNda Sonke loyalty programme brings benefits to the adults who make this possible. FUNda Sonke members can earn points by completing online training courses and taking part in monthly literacy challenges. Points accumulated through participating in various activities can be redeemed for books, airtime and subscriptions to the Nal’ibali multilingual newsprint supplement. “With 17 000 active FUNda leaders nationwide, the time seemed right to take this campaign to the next level,” said Nal’ibali Managing Director Jade Jacobsohn. “FUNda Sonke takes all the elements of our successful volunteer programme and rewards South Africans for being the everyday magic that help make our children flourish.” The FUNda Sonke programme will be activated in a series of pop-up events from April 8-12 in seven provinces. A list of these events, which will spread information on the FUNda Leader network and offer opportunities to sign up to both the network and the loyalty programme, is available from www.nalibali.org. Sharing her own love of stories and encouraging young people and caregivers to join, SABC 1 Uzalo’s actress and storyteller Mpumy Ndlovu will be attending the KwaZulu-Natal sign-up events and championing the drive. “Reading makes me feel empowered and enlightened. I have …

Nal’ibali, the nationwide reading-for-enjoyment campaign which aims to spark children’s potential through reading and storytelling, is supporting caregivers in kick-starting their children’s 2019 school year by giving away 20 mini-libraries fully stocked with story books in different South African languages. Research shows that children who read for pleasure, do better across all school subjects, including Maths. However, to keep children reading, it’s helpful to understand what motivates them to read. According to American researchers, Kathryn Edmunds and Kathryn Bauserman, the following factors influence children’s reading behaviours. • Children are more likely to read a book they chose themselves • Children enjoy books that match their personal interests • Children are more likely to choose books that have exciting covers, great illustrations and action-packed plots, as well as books that are funny or scary • What they could learn from reading a book was important to them • Their interest in reading was sparked and encouraged by their family members (especially mothers), teachers and friends • Children were often excited to read books they had heard about from friends • Children enjoyed being read to by family members and teachers, even if they could already read. • Once they’d caught the reading bug, children continued to motivate themselves to read! Nal’ibali mini libraries contain a carefully curated selection of books designed to expose children to a range of literacy and illustration styles. Every library is bilingual in a bid to support a culture a multilingualism, and to help children build a strong foundation in their other tongue as well as English. “Providing families and classrooms with their own mini libraries is just one of the ways we are nurturing a culture of reading in South Africa. Nal’ibali stories can also be accessed directly from its website, in its regular reading-for-enjoyment supplement or heard on the radio,” explains …

Story Bosso is a multilingual storytelling contest designed to provide aspiring storytellers with an opportunity to showcase their talent and to promote storytelling in all official South African languages. It’s an initiative of South Africa’s national-reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali. The theme for this year’s talent search was ‘South African Heroes’. By remembering and telling the stories of our heroes, the campaign aimed to inspire greatness in all South African children. Says Jade Jacobsohn, Nal’ibali Managing Director, “Heroes guide us about how to live our lives; they give us hope and motivate us to overcome challenges. We were blown away by young Praises Banda from Ga-Kibi, Dankie Village, in Limpopo, as her story, skillfully told in her home language Sepedi, did exactly that.” Told with both sadness and passion, Banda’s story is about her personal hero, Kholofelo Sasebola, who put an end to the bullying she endured at school. “The sadness in Praises’ voice is palpable. You can tell the bullying was traumatic, but, at the same time, you can hear her passion for celebrating the deed of her hero. Her command of Sepedi is commendable. Though the story is told in simple sentences, Praises uses the language playfully, and the story is easy to understand,” comments Lorato Trok, Story Bosso judge and children’s story development expert. Storytelling is an important part of South African heritage and plays a key role in children’s literacy development by encouraging the use of imagination, curiosity, and empathy. More than 50 special storytelling events were held across the country throughout September to allow members of the public to practice and build their storytelling skills before entering the contest. Banda’s story was selected from over two thousand entries and, as this year’s Story Bosso, she will be receiving R5 000, a book hamper, and R500 worth of airtime. A further five prizes will be awarded to provincial winners. Thabiso …

South Africa’s reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali, took third place at the African Union’s Innovation in Education Prize, rising ahead of six other emerging innovators from across the continent. The announcement came during the AU Commission’s Innovating Education in Africa Exhibition in Dakar, supported by the Senegalese Government and African partner institutions. The campaign received this recognition in large part for its bilingual reading-for-enjoyment supplement. The supplement is produced by PRAESA (Project for the Research of Alternative Education in South Africa), printed biweekly in Tiso Blackstar newspapers, The Daily Dispatch, Herald and The Sunday World. It is donated and delivered directly to reading clubs, schools, libraries, and community organisations in the Nal’ibali network across South Africa, with the support of its publisher and the South African Post Office. Since 2012, 37.3 million supplements have been distributed to those who need them the most. “We’re really honoured to receive this continent-wide recognition,” says Katie Huston, Head of Research and Innovation at Nal’ibali. “We often assume innovation has to mean new technology, but the supplement shows that something really ‘low-tech’ can have a huge impact when it is built on sound research; when it catalyses ground-breaking partnerships between the private sector, civil society and government; and when it meets people where they are. We want to thank the AU for recognising the importance of innovative solutions to our continent’s education challenges. Together we can give all our children the opportunity and support they need to become lifelong readers.” Nal’ibali’s award-winning supplement may be the answer to one of South Africa’s biggest challenges: How do we get quality, affordable reading material into our children’s hands? Reading has been shown to be the single biggest contributor to a child’s future school success, yet only 17% of South African schools have a …

To commemorate the centenary celebration of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, Nal’ibali – South Africa’s reading-for-enjoyment campaign – is highlighting some of the values he embodied by sharing a special series of three children’s stories. Made possible through a collaboration with local publisher, Heartlines, the stories focus on honesty, compassion and forgiveness and are an effective way for adults and caregivers to help pass these values to their children. Available from Nal’ibali’s website in English, isiXhosa, isiZulu and Afrikaans for the week of Mandela’s birthday, the stories, Topo’s Tree House, Bear’s Haircut and The Small Seed, will also be shared amongst children in Nal’ibali’s national network of over 1 000 reading clubs. Each of the three stories comes with activities and talking points about the values they focus on to help parents and caregivers engage their children around these important principles. “Through discussing the pictures, characters and what is happening in a story, children learn about how stories work and how to explore them. By letting the conversation flow naturally as we enjoy a story together we are extending children’s literacy learning. Many stories focus on how characters deal with challenges that life sends their way. Story conversations help children to relate what they read about in stories to their own lives. Children are able to practise expressing their feelings and opinions as they learn about themselves and explore the complex world we live in,” says Arabella Koopman, Content Development Specialist for Nal’ibali. Not only does Nal’ibali value the power of reading for enjoyment, it understands the role of language and cultural relevance in children’s literacy development. Language is intrinsically linked to belonging and when children see themselves in stories, this too contributes to positive self-development. In order to share these three stories with even larger audiences, community radio stations in …

‘Books are a uniquely portable magic’ -Stephen King There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. Which is why NGO, The Nal’ibali Trust, is expanding on its reading-for-enjoyment campaign, to initiate a national book exchange project on the 26 May. Jade Jacobsohn, Nal’ibali’s Managing Director says, “Literacy Mentors across the country will be hosting public book exchange events, where everyone is encouraged to bring and swap a book, enjoy storytelling and read-aloud sessions, and find out more about how they can read and share stories effectively with their children.” How it works The book exchange welcomes books of any variety; printed or handmade books for adults or children can be swapped. Those bringing books to exchange will receive a special sticker which can be placed on the inside cover. The sticker provides an opportunity for the previous owner to inscribe their name and location before passing it on. Illiteracy is the academic handbrake A recent study by PIRLS states that 78% of Grade 4’s in South Africa are illiterate. All the more worrying when the ability to read in Grade 4 is regarded as crucial. From Grades 1 to 3 you learn to read, but from Grades 4 to 12 you read to learn. “If a learner is unable to read properly, they will never get a firm grasp on the first rung of the academic ladder and will fall further and further behind,” says Stellenbosch University education expert, Nic Spaull. Although parents have high aspirations for their children, many are not aware that reading is a powerful way to help them reach their potential. Research shows that only 35% of adults read regularly to their children and very few are readers themselves. But teachers, parents and caregivers can play a significant role in children’s literacy development. The Nal’ibali book exchange is an easy and fun way for caregivers and adults to start to model positive reading behaviors and become reading role models for their children. Reading is …