The community of Sweetwaters, Eastern Cape, braved the freezing weather to attend the Nal'ibali Eastern Cape Literacy Month Festival at Sweetwaters Community Hall. Nal'ibali hosted the event, celebrating African languages, culture, and stories, in conjunction with Equal Education. The literacy festival was designed to provide pleasant experiences for children through stories and reading in their mother language. It brought together parents, children from local Nal'ibali reading clubs, and teachers for a memorable event.

An inclusive approach

The event featured storytelling and play-based learning activities including singing and dancing for 145 children from the Sweetwaters township. The celebration got off to a great start with kids participating in singing and dancing, led by Nal'ibali Eastern Cape Coordinator Dr Nompucuko Zakaza. In addition to sharing iintsomi (folklore) with the children, the Nal'ibali team read stories from the anthology and reading supplement Nal'ibali children's stories. 

To boost the children's confidence when reading aloud, caregivers and the Nal'ibali team chose children to read aloud in front of the assembled audience. The children, who are also members of several Nal'ibali reading clubs, demonstrated exceptional understanding, enthusiasm, and reading skills. They weren't just able to read the stories; they also gave the different characters in the story individual personalities.

Through this immersive approach, the children can perceive literacy programs as activities in which they participate rather than as something they receive.

Caregiver Involvement

Seeing sixty-eight caregivers supporting the festival was heartwarming. The Nal'ibali team trained caregivers on play-based activities, reading aloud to children, and sharing stories with them. Using the Nal'ibali children's supplement, they also took part in bookmaking.

The parents expressed their appreciation for Nal'ibali's contribution to their kids' increased reading proficiency and enthusiasm for reading. "My child always reminds me to turn on the radio so she can hear the daily Nal'ibali radio stories." We talk about the day's Nal’ibali radio story in the evening. That has made her memory better," said Zikhona Sokudela, one of the parents who attended the festival.

The Nal'ibali team also distributed Nal'ibali resources, such as the Nal'ibali reading supplement and children's stories anthology. The team also guided parents on how to access digital stories via the Nal'ibali website and WhatsApp platform. "This event has taught me how to share stories with my child in a delightful way. I had no idea I could access stories on WhatsApp. "This makes things so easy for me now," Sokudela added.

Collaboration as a way  to improve literacy  

Collaboration among literacy organisations, as demonstrated by projects such as Yizani Sifunde, can assist address South Africa's literacy crisis. The Eastern Cape Literacy Month Festival's success was attributed to Nal'ibali's collaboration with Equal Education.
Nal'ibali provided reading materials, training, and led festival events. Equal Education arranged for participants, a venue, and refreshments for the occasion.
"It takes a community to raise a child. We hope that this event will develop and make a long-lasting impact on Sweetwaters' children. Siya Ncetani from Equal Education remarked, "Hopefully when we return with Nal'ibali, there will be more children."

To promote reading for enjoyment beyond the festival, the Nal'ibali team distributed copies of the Nal'ibali reading supplement and stories anthology to caregivers and children. Wordworks also provided caregivers with the Every Word Counts early reading handbook for children aged 3–4 years.  The festival has sown the seeds of a reading revolution in Sweetwaters. Nal'ibali is leading the charge for increased access to reading materials for children, assisting caregivers in creating a learning culture in their homes and contributing to the improvement of literacy in South Africa through collaboration with parents, community organizations, reading clubs, and literacy organisations.