Nal’ibali (isiXhosa for “here’s the story”) is a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign to spark children’s potential through storytelling and reading.
Children who are immersed in great and well-told stories – and in languages they understand – become inspired and are motivated to learn to read for themselves. Such personally rewarding learning is a recipe for successful literacy development.
Nal’ibali is driven by PRAESA (the Project for the Study of Alternative Education), Times Media and a growing number of partners. Through sustained mentoring and collaboration with communities, reading clubs, literacy organisations and volunteers of all ages, as well as a vibrant media campaign, Nal’ibali is helping to root a culture of literacy into the fabric of everyday life in South Africa.
Our Vision: A literate society that uses writing and reading in meaningful ways and where children and adults enjoy stories and books together as part of daily life.
Our Goals:
- To create a general awareness of the critical link between reading for enjoyment and educational achievement through mass media and face-to-face engagement
- To inform and guide individuals and organisations on how to use reading for enjoyment for children’s literacy development
- To initiate, support and help sustain reading clubs as a literacy promotion strategy
- To supply and connect people in South Africa with a range of appropriate material for children in all South African languages.
