Charity Begins With Me’s children’s Christmas book drive is off to the most cheerful start, thanks to a kind author!

Johannesburg, South Africa (22 October 2024) — Just last week, we told our readers that Charity Begins With Me was on the hunt for 1,500 books as part of its children’s Christmas Book Drive. Today, we’re happy to report that support has already come their way jingling, largely thanks to the kindness of an author!

Stephan Ferreira shared the good news that shortly after posting about the book collection, he received a message from Reinette Lombard; an author of the Tippie Books!

Tippie is a character, elephant, and educator who helps children learn to read, supported by visual aids (cute illustrations) loved by teachers and students alike. For Charity Begins With Me, receiving boxes of Tippie books was not only perfect for one mission (making sure children in underprivileged communities have gifts to open) but also for helping their literacy journeys.

Considerately, the donated books are in the children’s home language.

The gesture facilitated by Reinette has certainly made this Christmas one for Charity Begins With Me to look forward to. But the call for more book donations is still loud!

Books will be collected until 30 November. Drop-offs can be made at Fairlands in Johannesburg, or books can be couriered via PostNet.

Everyone looking to gift a book for Christmas can contact Stephan here!

Sources: Charity Begins With Me

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As 60 eager mothers and their little ones gathered at Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha, the magic of storytelling was brought to life during a fun and educational event by Nal’ibali and Embrace the Movement for Mothers.

Khayelitsha, South Africa (16 October 2024) – In an enriching effort to nurture bonds through love, books and play,  Nali’bali hosted a fun-filled Moms and Tots event.

Nal’ibali, a beacon of literacy and storytelling, joined forces with Embrace the Movement for Mothers, a social movement that celebrates the power of motherhood, and hosted the magical event which also sought to embrace their mother tongue.

Together, they created a space where mothers and their young children could bond, learn, and grow.

The Isivivana Centre in Khayelitsha, Cape Town was transformed into a world of wonder, filled with eager little minds and hearts.

Attendees got to enthral themselves in the magic of fictional stories, sparking their imaginations through the experiences of some of their favourite characters.

The captivating stories were brought to life by the enthusiastic Nal’ibali Story-Sparkers and Zazi Show’s Bongo Peteni known by toddlers as Sis’Bongo.

It was colourful, it was fun-filled! But beyond the joy and entertainment, this event was a profound celebration of language, culture, and the power of storytelling.

Sources: Nal’ibali

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Masicorp is making a marvellous difference when it comes to literacy in Masiphumelele Township! From resources that have increased learner’s marks by up to 40% to fostering a love of reading, here’s a snippet of the work they are doing!

Masiphumelele Township, South Africa (29 September 2024) — September marked National Literacy Month in South Africa, a time to reflect on the critical role literacy plays in shaping not just a future generation of readers but leaders.

It is well recorded that the state of literacy in South Africa leaves much to be desired. From a striking amount of Grade 4s who cannot read for meaning to our disappointing literacy rates year-on-year, the finger is often pointed at our under-resourced educational institutions. But instead of simply wagging our fingers, we should also cup our hands in applause for the many organisations who are bridging literacy gaps, one opportunity at a time.

Masicorp is one of the development charities in South Africa, making sure young South Africans get to spark their literacy lightbulbs sooner rather than later.

Focused on the people of Masiphumelele township in the Western Cape, their focus on education is paramount to the road out of poverty.

This National Literacy Month, Masicorp got stuck in upping the ante of the literacy programmes they already have in their empowerment toolkits.

Here are some of their Success Stories!

English Hub at Ukhanyo Primary School

Masicorp’s English Hub has focused on helping Grade 3s develop their reading and writing skills. This past term, they wanted to build learners’ confidence in their writing abilities: a task well received.

“One of the most rewarding moments this year has been witnessing students who previously struggled with writing, begin to enjoy the process,” the team share. “Even those who found it difficult are now showing excitement and commitment when building their sentences.

Masifunde Programme

Also at Ukhanyo Primary, the Masifunde Programme has also helped nurture another important asset in literacy: a love for reading! Focused on the Grade 5s, the focus has been on encourage children to engage with stories with ‘The Land of the Dinosaurs’ sparking a particularly lively conversation amongst learners.

English Please at Sun Valley Primary

The English Please Programme runs at different schools, including Sun Valley, Simons Town and Fish Hoek Primary. However, it was at Sun Valley that there was a big moment of success: A group of Grade 3 learners who improved their English marks by 20% in 6 months!

Beyond the classroom-based programmes, Masicorp also runs Tuesdays with Books at the Masi Library to connect with reading in a less pressured space.

Sources: Media Release 

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By providing parents in Nkomazi with culturally relevant books and training, The Do More Foundation’s Read and Play at Home programme has fostered a deep bond between families, empowering parents to become active participants in their children’s education.

Nkomazi, South Africa (25 September 2024) – For young children, storytime is a magical adventure, whether they’re at school or home. However, the experience becomes even more special when they get to explore fictional worlds with Mom and Dad in their language and through culturally relevant narratives.

With work, responsibilities and the ups and downs of life, parents have a lot on their plates, but for the many moms and dads in Nkomazi, their children’s literacy and education take centre stage!

This heritage month, The Do More Foundation is shining a spotlight on the parents of Nkomazi, who are sparking a lifelong love of reading in their young children using proudly South African books that provide stories that resonate with their own culture and heritage.

At the core of this initiative lies the Read and Play at Home programme, a collaborative effort that emphasises the importance of local languages and cultural contexts in early literacy development.

Jabu Mthembu-Dlamini, the Foundation’s Community Programmes Lead based in Nkomazi, said that parents have a profound impact on their child’s early development by dedicating time each day to read with them.

“The Read and Play at Home programme supports this by incorporating the family’s primary and secondary languages and culturally relevant stories.

“This approach not only promotes cognitive and linguistic development but also strengthens identity, empathy, and academic success. Through such initiatives, parents can help their children flourish in a diverse and interconnected world.”

Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioner in Nkomazi, Eden Mabila, has observed a remarkable transformation among parents, noting that through the programme they get to see the value of being actively involved in their children’s education from an early age.

“They also understand their role in supporting literacy and learning at home, which has led to better engagement in classroom activities and more enthusiasm from children towards reading. This shift in parental involvement is laying a stronger foundation for children’s literacy development.”

With this initiative, parents are not just spectators; they are active participants in their child’s learning journey.

Parents receive hands-on training about the value of reading and interactive play and carefully selected Book Dash books (two in their home language and one wordless book) that allow them to practice this at home with their child.

The books have been kindly sponsored by MySchool who gave Book Dash a three-year grant to print books for distribution through the Do More Foundation.

The love for reading starts in a child’s early years and is cultivated through playful engagement with books at their ECD centre and at home, the foundation explains.

Since its inception in 2022, Read and Play at Home has empowered over 2,200 parents in Nkomazi with training, resources, and a treasure trove of books.

The goal for 2024/25 is to reach even more families, with plans to support an additional 1,574 parents.

By embracing our rich cultural narratives and engaging in storytelling, parents can empower their children to thrive in all areas – academically, socially and emotionally – in a dynamic and diverse country!

Sources: The Do More Foundation

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Dozens of learners from inner-city schools competed in the 2nd Windybrow Arts Centre Spelling Bee competition:

Hillbrow, South Africa (27 August 2024)—The Windybrow Arts Centre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, was a hive of activity on Saturday where dozens of learners from inner-city schools competed in the 2nd annual Spelling Bee competition.

This year’s event was organised by the Windybrow Arts Centre and the non-government organisation Camp I Am.

“This competition is about creating a fun and exciting environment, but is also aimed at getting children to read more,” said Kai Crooks-Chissano, executive director of Camp I Am.

Chissano worked with partners from other organisations and the Windybrow Arts Centre to craft a challenging word list from the Department of Basic Education’s CAPS curriculum. The participating learners had a list of over 600 words to study in preparation for this year’s Spelling Bee.

Last year’s inaugural competition only had grade 7s participating, but this year was open to learners from grades 7 to 9.

The Spelling Bee forms is of the Windybrow Arts Centre’s Literacy and Homework Support Programme, which equips local youth with reading and writing skills.

This follows a 2021 study by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) that revealed troubling statistics showing that more than 80% of grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning.

Lordwick Pako, the Windybrow’s librarian, told GroundUp “We know we have challenges with literacy in South Africa, so our aim is to build a literate society which would result in people having access to more information and therefore making better decisions.”

The Spelling Bee consisted of four rounds. Learners who spelt words incorrectly were eliminated in each round. Eventually, only three contestants remained, battling it out for the top spot.

At the end of the competition, Onthloletse Dimema from St Enda’s Secondary School in Braamfontein came out victorious after correctly spelling the word “Plateau” much to the delight of her English teacher who was in the audience.

“I really enjoyed the competition. It was so much fun even though I was nervous at the start. I love reading and writing, and English is my favourite subject, so I was familiar with a lot of the words we were asked to spell,” said Onthloletse. She won a R1,000 mall voucher as well as some books and a scrabble board game.

“We don’t have that many good news stories coming out of Johannesburg’s inner-city but I think this is one definitely is one,” said Gerard Bester, head of the Windybrow Arts Centre.

Sources: GroundUp

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For 10 years, Book Dash has been on an epic mission to make sure more South African children fall in love with reading by creating and sharing free storybooks with kids!

South Africa (20 August 2024) — The stories and moments of joy we experienced as young readers have a way of staying with us no matter how many books we plough through in our lives.

The first storybooks we got to hold in our hands when they were so small, and the pages seemed so big will always be synonymous with the first times we held a new kind of magic. One where new adventures were created in our minds, new worlds entered ours, and new make-believe characters became as important as the real-life ones.

As many lifelong readers will understand, the thought of not having had the opportunity to experience those first stories is unimaginable. But for many South Africans, it’s also a striking reality.

Fortunately, there are many organisations working overtime to make sure that as many little South Africans as possible get the opportunity to fall in love with reading. And one of them is celebrating ten years of doing exactly that!

Book Dash is a non-profit that believes every child should own 100 books by the age of 5—a dream that began in 2014 when friends in the publishing industry gathered to put their skills together to create new African storybooks that would be distributed to children who otherwise wouldn’t have had much access to the world of stories. Soon, co-founders Arthur Attwell, Michelle Matthews and Tarryn-Anne Anderson registered the dream as an NPO and an exciting future of stories and joy lay ahead!

Over the years, Book Dash grew and grew, conquering many milestones like handing out 1 million books to children in 2020, creating over 128 original storybooks across eleven languages and enjoying their biggest print run earlier this year.

Needless to say, the 10 years have proved to be a real page-turner for all the best reasons.

How Book Dash Brings Stories and Joy to South African Children

Book Dash works through a unique publishing model. At different 12-hour events dubbed Book Dashes, volunteer creatives join forces to create unique storybooks to nourish young minds across a spectrum of age-appropriate topics.

Thereafter, the books can be enjoyed freely (you can find the library here), and hard copies are also distributed to children in different communities across South Africa. The most recent event took place on Saturday in Johannesburg.

To keep Book Dash alive and thriving, people can also purchase their storybooks to support the project’s future endeavours and hopefully, be a part of making the next 10 years as impactful as the first.

You can learn more about supporting Book Dash here.

Sources: Book Dash; GTG

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A clever local literacy project largely led by student efforts is taking the world by storm and has been chosen to compete in an international competition!

Western Cape, South Africa (04 June 2024) — A literacy project and education start-up led by students and the University of the Western Cape’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is making big strides in the world!

The literacy project named LenoKids began as a way to solve one of South Africa’s most pressing issues while pouring interactive learning, fun and

“It all started with solving a social problem of illiteracy in South Africa, and then later we found that it’s a global challenge. We challenged ourselves in coming up with an innovative solution to address this issue,” says Computer Science Master’s student and LenoKids co-founder Sange Mafinyongwana. 

The result? An AI-driven learning platform and WhatsApp application designed with children in mind. There, they can learn the skills necessary for literacy through curated games and activities that range from storytelling skills to vocabulary and comprehension. With a helpful robot pal to make the journey all the more interactive, it’s a tool that’s as fun as it is necessary—especially in countries with under-resourced education facilities.

The project has progressed wonderfully, with February earning LenoKids the opportunity to take part in the Switzerland-Africa AIT Annual Conference and stand tall as an international finalist with Sange representing them well.

Now, LenoKidz is back at it again for another international opportunity—participating in the Hult Prize Bangkok 2024 Summit underway this month!

Only 360 startups were chosen out of a whopping 10,000, and the sky could soon be the limit should they win and advance to the Global Accelerator where a million dollars are up for grabs.

Sources: University of the Western Cape 

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In a huge effort to cultivate a culture of reading for young children across South African homes, the ‘Growing Readers with Books’ Project has given over 9000 books to youngsters, whilst working to engage parents on the importance of reading from a young age!

South Africa (23 April 2024) — Today bookmarks World Book and Copyright day! In light of this, an exciting project— ‘Growing Readers with Books’ has some page-turning good news to share when it comes to South Africa’s literacy and Early Childhood Development efforts.

Research shows that book ownership is vital to holistic early development as well as lifelong academic and economic success. But, as we know in South Africa, literacy levels have been worrying, while book ownership rates are critically low, especially when it comes to age-appropriate books.

Cue the ‘Growing Readers with Books’ project that launched last year. Non-profits Grow ECD and Book Dash decided on an ambitious mission in 2023: to join hands in effort to place books directly into the hands of 13 000 young children and arm their parents with the tools and desire to foster a love of reading at home.

With support from MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, the project kickstarted in February 2023 and has been making sure children have gotten direct access to books ever since!

But, beyond having books on hand, the mission also hoped to create a culture of reading and book sharing, starting at home.

“Book sharing is more than just reading to a child. It is interactive, follows the child’s interest, and encourages and praises them for participation. Adults can ask open-ended questions, point to and name objects, connect book content to children’s own experiences, and use book content to expand conversation to new concepts and ideas. Book sharing is also accessible to parents with low literacy skills; even illiterate adults can use picture books to engage with children,” says Book Dash’s Executive Director, Julia Norris.

“When families start book-sharing from an early age, it creates a snowball effect. Children’s early language and literacy skills develop, which can increase their interest in books and encourage parents to continue book-sharing routines.

“These foundational skills pay off later in life, too. Toddlers who know more words read better when they get to school, and early language and attention are some of the strongest predictors of cognitive functioning and learning outcomes. Also, children who regularly participate in book-sharing with an adult they trust form a strong bond with that person, which helps create a sense of safety and security. This socio-emotional aspect of reading is also very important in early development.”

This kind of collaborative effort cannot work to its fullest effect if family members aren’t on board. So, the idea to work with parents came into the fold.

To date, 118 ECD centres have already completed the training offered to help them engage parents in promoting early literacy at home (a free online training module dubbed “How to Host a Parent Workshop”).

According to Romany Robert, the Principal of Sunbeam School in Durban:

“It was such an enjoyable event to host a literacy workshop for our parents. We had a 95% attendance, and what was wonderful to see was that many dads and grandmothers attended too—literacy for the whole family!”

These workshops are central to the mission, as a love of reading can easily be sparked or dimmed by influences at home.

Fikile Mofokeng, the principal of Khulani Creche in KZN, says,” I strongly believe in the importance of fostering strong partnerships between schools and parents. I was excited about this project since I knew it would help us engage with parents directly and collaborate on strategies that will support children’s learning at home. It was indeed an eye-opener for most parents since they never thought their children would really read a book at their age and enjoy reading! I can see the difference. Both parents and children are embarking on this journey, which makes us proud.”

As for the books’ distributed, 9176 books have made their way to 4588 children under the age of five across Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape, with each child receiving two books: “Lost Toy” (a wordess book) and “Look Out, Luthando” an English read.

Looking ahead, phase 2 is planning on reaching an additional 8400 children by November 2024 with an expansion focused on the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

Sources: Supplied 

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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Ahead of National Library Week, local libraries have made creative displays to honour their roles in communities among many other literacy-approved surprises up their sleeves:

South Africa (11 March 2024) — In anticipation of South African National Library Week, local libraries have a few surprises up their sleeves (pun intended!) to celebrate the week that honours them and their place as the beating heart of many communities.

Booked for 18-24 March, South African Library Week (SALW) marks a time for libraries to take the spotlight and get some extra love while encouraging new visitors to make use of these sanctuaries (and maybe donate some preloved books that might just become the reason a stranger falls in love with reading).

This year, SALW also runs at the same time as Fine Free Week, which means that those who haven’t returned outstanding items can do so without paying any fines—a welcomed sigh of relief for anyone who’s sweated over an overdue book in Cape Town.

Under the theme for this year’s South African Library Week ‘Libraries Foster Social Cohesion’ many libraries  in Cape Town have proudly created clever displays to embody this ethos—their unsung badge of honour. The beautiful irony of a library after all, is that they are both a place for solitude and community in a single space.

Adriaanse Library for one have created a hive to showcase the busy bees that make all their community work possible, while Goodwood Library took a literal ‘all hands on deck approach’ to the theme. Elsies River Library made a creative display using recycled items to depict their role as the ‘glue of the community’.

Not only are the Cape Town libraries getting dressed up; many will also be participating in the City’s 2024 Open Book Festival story-times, workshops, illustrators and even writing crash courses will be on the cards for Pinelands Langa and Wynberg Library among others from 13-20 March.

And if you happen to hear eager footsteps drumming through the streets on Friday in the Mother City, it’ll be because the libraries are marching in celebration of their week.

Libraries outside of Cape Town, let us know what you’re getting up to by sending us any exciting projects or displays on info@goodthingsguy.com, we’d love to celebrate you!

Sources: City of Cape Town

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Event organised by Nal’ibali and the City of Cape Town.

Cape Town, South Africa (08 February 2024)—Everyone who can – teachers, parents, caregivers – should read to children, says Gabrielle Kelly, Head of Research, Impact and Innovation at Nal’ibali.

Speaking at a World Read Aloud Day event organised by Nal’ibali and the City of Cape Town, she said reading aloud to children helps them to learn to read independently “and to adopt reading as a way of life”.

According to a 2021 study by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), over 80% of grade 4 children in South Africa cannot read for meaning.

About 200 learners from grades R, 4 and 5 gathered at the park on Wednesday to celebrate World Read Aloud Day.

People from various organisations, authors, and even players from the Stormers read to the children. Schools involved include Essenhout Primary in Delft South, Mamre Primary in Atlantis, Vukani Primary in Philippi and Enkululekweni Primary in Wallacedene.

Aroenisha Philander, a grade 5 and 7 teacher at Mamre Primary School, says that some grade 7 learners don’t even know the alphabet.

“I don’t know how they’ve gone through all those grades,” she said.

Many of the learners and schools at the event came from areas suffering from poverty and gang violence, which greatly affects learning ability, Philander said. Events like this are helpful as learners are more interested if someone else reads a story to them, she says. When they read on their own, “they don’t understand”.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said many of the problems of South African learners could be fixed “by just the simple act of daily reading.”

The City is trying to help through the many public libraries available across the city, he said.

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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