The South African Post Office (Sapo) partnership with non-profit organisation (NPO) Nal’ibali now makes it possible for children, reading clubs, schools and libraries to collect free reading material from 508 branches throughout the country.
A year ago, the reading supplements were available at only 46 post offices. This increase has been made possible by the partnership Nal’ibali has with the post office.
“By the end of last year, Nal’ibali was able to deliver 309,000 reading supplements every month through the post offices. Each copy has three stories – so that is nearly a million stories every month.
“We reached 2,279 reading clubs and about 216,000 kids. We could do this by using the branch network of the post office and everybody knows that there is a post office in almost every village,” said Nal’ibali acting managing director Katie Huston.
Nal’ibali enables young children to read in their mother language by producing interactive reading supplements with illustrations in nine of the 11 official languages of SA.
Nal’ibali produces interactive, fun-reading material that the children assemble themselves, while Sapo makes the reading material available for collection at its branches at no cost.
Research done by Nal’ibali indicates that the supplements support children, parents and teachers to develop reading habits and that people enjoy reading and using them.
Parents and teachers report that it helps children develop their reading skills, and it gives parents and children an opportunity to spend quality time together.
Research also shows that learning to read in one's mother tongue early in school makes education more engaging, meaningful and enjoyable for children. Children who benefit from mother tongue instruction and learning also perform better in their second language.
“Language is a major factor that binds members of a community and a culture together. In a country like SA, famous for its marvellous diversity, the many languages we speak probably play a major role in keeping our varied cultures alive,” Sapo said.
Sapo calls on teachers, learners, caregivers or librarians to join the Nal’ibali tribe, by sending an email to info@nalibali.org.
– This article first appeared in GCIS's Vuk'uzenzele
Sapo, Nal’ibali form partnership to provide kids with reading material
Books can be collected from 508 branches around the country
Image: Vukuzenzele
The South African Post Office (Sapo) partnership with non-profit organisation (NPO) Nal’ibali now makes it possible for children, reading clubs, schools and libraries to collect free reading material from 508 branches throughout the country.
A year ago, the reading supplements were available at only 46 post offices. This increase has been made possible by the partnership Nal’ibali has with the post office.
“By the end of last year, Nal’ibali was able to deliver 309,000 reading supplements every month through the post offices. Each copy has three stories – so that is nearly a million stories every month.
“We reached 2,279 reading clubs and about 216,000 kids. We could do this by using the branch network of the post office and everybody knows that there is a post office in almost every village,” said Nal’ibali acting managing director Katie Huston.
Nal’ibali enables young children to read in their mother language by producing interactive reading supplements with illustrations in nine of the 11 official languages of SA.
Nal’ibali produces interactive, fun-reading material that the children assemble themselves, while Sapo makes the reading material available for collection at its branches at no cost.
Research done by Nal’ibali indicates that the supplements support children, parents and teachers to develop reading habits and that people enjoy reading and using them.
Parents and teachers report that it helps children develop their reading skills, and it gives parents and children an opportunity to spend quality time together.
Research also shows that learning to read in one's mother tongue early in school makes education more engaging, meaningful and enjoyable for children. Children who benefit from mother tongue instruction and learning also perform better in their second language.
“Language is a major factor that binds members of a community and a culture together. In a country like SA, famous for its marvellous diversity, the many languages we speak probably play a major role in keeping our varied cultures alive,” Sapo said.
Sapo calls on teachers, learners, caregivers or librarians to join the Nal’ibali tribe, by sending an email to info@nalibali.org.
– This article first appeared in GCIS's Vuk'uzenzele
We must save indigenous languages from extinction
Here's an opportunity for authors to get their children’s stories published
Q&A with Siphiwe Ndlovu: Getting into the details and nuances of our history
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos