YOUTH MONTH: A CALL FOR AFRICAN LANGUAGE CHILDREN’S STORIES
This June, as we remember the Soweto youth who protested the use of Afrikaans and English as the languages of school instruction amongst other injustices, the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign calls on aspiring and established authors to donate their original African language stories.
South Africa faces a critical lack of children’s literature in indigenous languages and Nal’ibali believes is is these stories that motivate and inspire…
EMPOWERING CHILDREN THROUGH STORIES IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE CADBURY LAUNCHES READ TO SUCCEED INITIATIVE
A love of reading is sparked when children see themselves in stories and relate it to their lives, even more so when it is shared in their home language. Xolisa Guzula – early literary specialist, author and translator – agrees that when children learn to read in their mother tongues it’s much easier to build on that foundation. However, a survey by the Publishers Association SA…
EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY INTERVENTION SET TO SUPPORT CHILDREN IN RURAL EASTERN CAPE
Lack of access to reading material and books remains one of the biggest challenges in bridging the gap of illiteracy in South Africa. According to educational experts, fixing the literacy crisis would require the coming together of multiple players, and this is why three NGO’s and the Liberty Community Trust have partnered to lend a helping hand.
Research shows that 78% of Grade 4 learners…
EARLY-YEARS LITERACY INTERVENTION SET TO SUPPORT CHILDREN IN RURAL EASTERN CAPE
The foundations of language are laid and set before children reach Grade R, when, based on this, researchers can predict children’s future educational attainment. However, with attendance at early childhood development centres lower than it has been in the past 18 years, many young South African children are facing a gloomy future. Three literacy NGOs, supported by Liberty Community Trust, have teamed up to…
Nal’ibali has helped me grow as a writer
Meet Bubele Retshe
My writing journey dates back to 2005 when I fell in love with reading and the English language. It was the year that I was sent to a school where English was the medium of teaching and communication.
At that point in my life, the only English phrase I knew with confidence was, “Good morning, ma’am.” My English was so poor that I…
Nal’ibali helped kickstart my career
I am Melody Ngomane, born and bred in Hazyview, Mpumalanga. My first contact with Nal’ibali was in 2019 when I submitted stories for their radio stories season 5 submission. I have since submitted 21 stories for both Seasons 5 and 6. Some of those, namely The old woman and the bee, The mirror in the jungle, The kind man, Daisy’s little voice and Lazy Lollie were…
CHILDREN WHO ENJOY READING EXCEL IN OTHER LANGUAGES TOO
Khangu Ntuli
“Children who enjoy reading also excel in subjects other than language! They are able to express themselves more fluently, communicate with others, and become independent readers through reading. I highly recommend the FUNda Sonke loyalty programme to friends and family”.
Khangu is a language teacher at Kwamiya Primary School in KwaZulu Natal. Her school joined the Nal’ibali programme in 2016 and she was elected…
WHY SA ENTERTAINER, PROVERB, IS BACKING BOOKS AND LITERACY
Everyone wants the best for their children, and no one understands this better than ProVerb – a South African father, entertainer and entrepreneur who has witnessed the power of books to unlock life’s potential. Having recently issued his memoir – The Book of ProVerb, he has joined the Nal’ibali campaign to help inspire children across South Africa to get reading.
1. Your own life is…
3 MILLION CHILDREN REACHED ON WORLD READ ALOUD DAY
Nal’ibali – the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign – has set a new read-aloud record in South Africa. For the past eight years, the campaign has been celebrating World Read Aloud Day by calling on members of the public to help them read a single story out loud to children across the country in their home language. This year, Nal’ibali received pledges from thousands of South…
WHAT SHOULD CHILDREN’S STORIES DO FOR US?
My 84-year-old grandmother has recently been ailing. Every day for the past week, we have had uncles and aunts, cousins, and grandchildren over at our house to see her. With the house full of hum, in the midst of dinner preparations and the banter of a well-bonded family, from her bedroom, my gran called for help. I quickly ran to her side.
Her breathing was…
