News & Articles

Early language development is rooted in the interactions children have with their parents, caregivers and peers. It is with this understanding that the statistics are unsettling: eight out of every ten South African nine-year-olds are unable to read for meaning in any language. Statistically speaking, that’s an alarming 78%. If nothing is done, these children will grow up unable to participate effectively and fully…

National reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali, is launching a loyalty programme for South Africans committed to making a difference in children’s reading development. Known as FUNda Sonke, isiXhosa for ‘everyone read’, the programme seeks to grow and support the campaign’s network of more than 17 000 literacy volunteers, known as FUNda Leaders, nationwide. Launched in 2016 in response to public demand, the FUNda Leader network brings South Africans…

Community media are backing the children of South Africa. Five radio stations across rural Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal have signed up to promote storytelling and to build children’s literacy in collaboration with Nal’ibali, South Africa’s reading-for-enjoyment campaign. Nal’ibali has a dream of giving all children in South Africa access to stories in their home langauges. It’s a dream that is slowly becoming a reality, thanks in part…

The performing arts has always had a difficult time proving its value in an education system that prioritises maths and science. Too few studies have been done to prove its benefits, such as building young children’s imaginations, vocabularies and language skills.    When Clowns Without Borders South Africa – an artist-led humanitarian organisation that uses laughter and play to improve the psychosocial conditions of children and communities in…

Earlier this year in Paris, UNESCO hosted the official global launch of 2019 as the Year of Indigenous Languages. This red-carpet affair called for an international drive to recognise, celebrate and preserve languages as “repositor[ies] for true identit[ies]”,histories, traditions and memories. Over 7 000 languages are spoken across the world, though remarkably, only 4% of these languages are spoken by a mammoth 97% of the world’s population….

Libraries across South Africa will be the scenes of a new community activation in 2019. Nal’ibali, the reading for enjoyment campaign, has teamed up with Clowns Without Borders South Africa to produce a series of literacy-focussed shows. These free performances will tour four provinces to encourage people to see their local libraries as safe, exciting community spaces for people of all ages. The free 40-minute…