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Durban, Friday 2 June 2023 - Nal'ibali, together with its implementation partners, Total Energies and Breadline Africa, officially inaugurated a brand-new literacy centre at Glenover Secondary School in Chartsworth, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The aim of this project is to provide the school with a dedicated facility that offers reading material for learners in grades 8 through 12.    Beyond being a literacy centre, this space will also function...
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Cape Town, Monday, 29 May 2023 – Nal'ibali, a national campaign focused on promoting reading for enjoyment, is organizing interactive reading sessions in various childcare centres across the Western Cape to commemorate Child Protection Week. The aim is to raise awareness about the significance of reading for early childhood development. Child Protection Week is an annual event in South Africa that aims to increase awareness...
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The Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021) recently revealed that 81% of South African children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning. Nal'ibali believes that getting children to start reading at an early age in their mother tongue and getting everyone on board can help in the fight against the literacy crisis in South Africa. The Nal'ibali Limpopo SEF team, which has 198...
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One of the ways in which Nal’ibali spreads the love of reading is by hosting literacy events throughout South Africa. Literacy events create opportunities for children to experience Nal'ibali for themselves through listening to stories, playing games based on stories, and learning how to enjoy stories in group settings. The events also show caregivers and volunteers the power of storytelling, and how simple it...
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Nal'ibali celebrates World Book Day

Posted on
April, 23rd 2023
World Book and Copyright Day 2023 is a moment to share stories, amplify good practice, and kick off a discussion on how early access to various forms of literature, including oral traditions, can help protect and preserves indigenous languages, cultures, and knowledge systems especially when it comes to early childhood development.                              ...
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Children's Literacy Rights

Posted on
March, 21st 2023
In celebration of Human Rights Day, Nal'ibali has created a Children Literacy Rights board you can use to spread the love of reading for enjoyment in your home or community.
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Reading and telling stories in mother language brings families closer and deepens cultural identity. For International Mother Language Day on 21 February, we shared  Gogo's tips for growing a love of African languages with your children.    
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Social employment could transform society

Posted on
November, 23rd 2022
Times are tough. In South Africa, one in three adults is unemployed. Load shedding is pummeling our economy, and only four in 10 children who attend preschool programmes are on track to thrive by the time they start school. It is easy for funders, policymakers, and community organisations to feel torn. Is it more impactful to put bread on a family's table today, or to...
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Nal'ibali helped me reach more kids as a writer

Posted on
November, 15th 2021
My name is Mbali Dipuo Kgame. I was born in Zola in Soweto, but grew up in a small, isolated township called Poortjie in the Vaal. As a teen, I moved back to Zola, so both places have influenced my writing and creativity. I have written two stories for Nal’ibali, Hair Magic for Radio Stories Season 5 and The Djembe Drum for Season 6. Hair...
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  Storytelling is an essential forerunner in children’s literacy development and an important way of preserving culture and language. Yet many of the same stories appear in different parts of the world: passed down from generation to generation, retold in various languages and with different cultural adaptations. These classic fairy tales contain important moral lessons and universal human truths.    As part of Literacy and Heritage Month,...
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