News & Articles

I am Zahida Wahab and I am proud to call myself a resident of the Bayview community, which is a vibrant, melting pot of diversity. It is also rich in the spirit of Ubuntu. This was my first foray into writing Children’s stories. I have always written for adults, so it was both challenging and enriching. I was inspired to write for children after joining…

It is a known fact that many grade 4 learners across the country are unable to read for meaning. The Eastern Cape is no exception, which highlights the importance of literacy interventions like Yizani Sifunde, which is providing underserved communities in the province with books and simple, high quality literacy practices for families and communities to adopt. Launched in 2021, Yizani Sifunde (isiXhosa for ‘come,…

When 22-year-old Asive Mcunukelwa from Molteno finally landed a job as an Educational Assistant at a local primary school in 2019, she was overcome with joy. She had been looking for work for a long time but, as it is for many other young people in her community, employment opportunities were scarce. However, after witnessing many Grade 7 learners struggling to read for understanding,…

One of the leading contributors to South Africa’s illiteracy crisis is a lack of access to leisure reading material and books in different African languages. At the forefront of the battle to eradicate illiteracy in the Northern Cape, are literacy activist, Susanna Steenkamp (42) and community leader, Antoinette de Koker (56) from Danielskuil. Susanna and Antoinette stands tall amongst South African women who are committed…

Educational experts reckon the fixing of the literacy crisis in South Africa requires the coming together of multiple role players. One of such players is literacy activist, Boniswa Mkhumbeni (26) from Soutpan, Brandfort. Mkhumbeni stands tall amongst South African women who are committed to transforming their communities through education. She supports children across four Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in Soutpan, along with their parents…

The Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment-campaign’s partnership with  Trevor Noah Foundation (TNF) will see a community-driven literacy intervention programme rolled out across seven schools in Braamfischerville, Gauteng. The schools form part of TNF’s Khulani Schools Programme (KSP), which contributes to inclusive and equitable access to quality education. While the KSP has solely supported secondary education in the past, the partnership with Nal’ibali to improve literacy represents the programme’s…