“In South Africa 82% of children do not learn to read for meaning by the age of 10. If you don’t learn to read for meaning at an early age, it is almost impossible for you to learn when you are older.” – Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Chair of 2030 Reading Panel.
Many South African children from poor socio-economic backgrounds grow up in households where no adults read, and with little or no reading material in the home.
Preschool’s where children may get some early childhood learning support can be expensive and beyond the reach of many of these poorer families already struggling to make ends meet. Preschools with decent resources may also not be within traveling distance to some families.
With finances already limited, sending children to a pre-school center is also often beyond the reach of many poor families. Children from these families will reach Grade 1 often already behind their peers in learning. Many never managing to catch up.
Project Literacy, a National Non-Profit Organisation, has been implementing their Run Home to Read Programme in townships outside of Pretoria, South Africa. Vulnerable households are identified where the children are receiving no pre-school education are enrolled into the programme. Suitable reading and pre-school educational material is donated to the family and a Reading Champion visits the home twice a week to read with the child and do other educational games. These champions also help provide suitable education strategies to the parent or adult caregiver.
One of the Reading Champions in action.
Through this programme and getting to understand and know the situations many families find themselves in, has resulted in a new Boys Mentorship Programme being implemented. This programme targets boys raised by single mothers, many of whom were initially part of the reading programme.
Male mentors provide these young boys with positive male role-models, providing guidance and support, to help these young boys to see a different way forward for their lives and relationships. Especially valuable input where in many poorer communities the prevailing socio-economic situation can be one dominated by different forms of Gender Based Violence, hopelessness, unemployment and substance abuse.
Thando Booi (below) is one of the Soshongwe township Reading Champions now mentoring young boys.
