In 2014, South Africans helped us read aloud to 50 000 children. In 2015, you helped us reach 166 360 children. And in 2016, thanks to parents, teachers, librarians, family members and hundreds of readers, we read to 365 849 children – more than double our previous number and an astounding record for Nal’ibali and South Africa!

The power in partners

This year, we joined forces with the Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, and the Orlando Pirates to spread the power of stories across South Africa. Raising her voice to read aloud and encourage fellow South Africans to join her, Yvonne gave her own special reading in isiZulu to children at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, together with players from the Orlando Pirates Football Club!

Pledging partners, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal Departments of Basic Education, Rotary District 9350, love Life Nongoma, Family Literacy Project and Zisize Ingwavuma Educational Trust, rose to the challenge and launched Nal’ibali reading clubs at schools in their provinces. In addition, over 160 supporting partners in six provinces held read-alouds, while Bargain Books distributed special World Read Aloud Day story cards to customers in its Centurion, Heidelberg, Richards Bay, Welkom and Willowbridge stores. We were also supported by Blind SA and Sign Language Education and Development (SLED), as well as a multitude of our radio partners across the country!

In addition, we received constant interaction and engagement from South Africans who shared their amazing World Read Aloud Day experience with us:

These are Grade 6 boys and girls from Tshwane Muslim School, holding up their WRAD badges right after enjoying the story together:

Here we have 457 learners from Toevlug Primray School who participated in world reading aloud day, and proudly wore their badges all day!

Diocesan for Girls in Grahamstown listened to the story of 'Neo, and the big wide world' in Afrikaans and isiXhosa!

We were truly inspired by the Western Cape Meltton Rose library staff in action!

The learners from Are-Itshokeng Primary School (Jouberton Township) in Klerksdorp participated in the cutest way possible!

Melusi Sibiya, with the help of his Reading Club Leaders, from Kwazulu-Natal started numerous reading clubs in his area and celebrated World Read Aloud Day in style in Dassenhoek Library, Pinetown .

This is Nkosi Sigenyevu, staff member of Bellville Library, reading "Neo and the big wide world" in Cape Town.

Makie van der Walt‎ from Ikhutseng Intermediate school read stories both in Tswana and English. The whole school participated - which was over 544 learners!

Teachers from Oasis Rainbow Kidz in the Eastern Cape, a pre-school in one of the communities on the outskirts of Grahamstown, took part by reading aloud to children in both English and Afrikaans.

These are just some of the amazing photos and experiences that you have shared with us. Every single read-aloud session, whether it was with one child or 1000 children, is crucial in kick-starting a culture of reading in South Africa. So here’s to a new World Read Aloud Day record to inspire people across South Africa to read to their children every single day of the year!

To see more of these inspiring photos, visit our Facebook page here!