South African Airways again has special plans in store for young people travelling over the festive time, which will keep them entertained and inspire them to read.
The airline announced today that it has again partnered with the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign to produce a second edition of their Story Power magazine. To celebrate the new edition, children from the Soweto-based Nal’ibali reading club, Mighty Stars, were invited to place the first copies of the magazine in the seat pockets of an SAA aircraft at a launch event held at SAA Technical in Johannesburg.
“The 2014 Nal’ibali edition proved so popular among children and their caregivers that the partners will once again be offering young travellers a brand new story written by a local author, fun literacy activities and ideas for parents to help keep their children reading over the holiday period. In addition, little listeners will also be able to enjoy Nal’ibali audio stories as part of SAA’s in-flight entertainment schedule on regional flights,” says Musa Zwane, Lusanda Jiya, GM Shareholder and Stakeholder Relations..
The audio stories and magazine story books will be distributed on SAA’s domestic and regional routes until 31 January 2016 and will be given to all caregivers travelling with children and unaccompanied minors. The Nal’ibali video will also be aired on In-flight entertainment systems (domestic and regional).
Both the audio stories and magazine form part of Nal’ibali’s Story Power drive, aimed at getting books and stories into the hands and homes of as many South Africans as possible. “Research shows that children who read regularly and for enjoyment, perform better at school in all subjects, including Science and Maths,” says Jade Jacobsohn, Nal’ibali Managing Director. “And reading and sharing stories is something all families can do – especially during the school holidays, which is the perfect time to start a storytelling tradition at home.”
To ensure their literacy journeys continue long after they have landed, children and caregivers can access even more literacy tips and stories in their home languages by visiting our library of stories.
About South African Airways
South African Airways (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 56 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, SA Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and nine intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for thirteen consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for three years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on - time airlines.
About Natalia Molebatsi
Natalia is a writer, performance poet, workshop facilitator and programme director who has presented shows such as An Evening with Alice Walker, Urban Voices International Spoken Word Festival, and an evening with the father of Ehio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke. The Tembisa-born and raised Natalia has performed in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Holland, Italy, Nigeria, Senegal, Arzerbaijan and England. She is founding member of the South African/Italian band Soul Making.
For more holiday resources to keep stories alive this holiday, click here.