BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
Nal’ibali, together with its implementation partners, Total Energies and Breadline Africa, officially inaugurated a brand-new literacy centre at Glenover Secondary School in Chartsworth, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The aim of this project is to provide the school with a dedicated facility that offers reading material for learners in grades 8 through 12.
Beyond being a literacy centre, this space will also function as a multipurpose literacy space, offering training for literacy facilitators and serving as a safe space for reading clubs and storytelling activities. Total Energies believes that giving the gift of quality education is priority.
CSI and Corporate Affairs Manager Talitha Sachane said “Giving the gift of quality education is something that Total Energies prides itself with, that we must always deliver on resources needed by learners. In line with our priority areas of which one is Inclusion and Education, this was only fitting for Total Energies to be part of such an initiative”.
Mpho Ramasodi, Head of Programmes of Nal’ibali, added that, “This new library will complement existing literacy initiatives in the community by consistently providing access to books and a space specifically designed for reading. It will create opportunities for children to discover the joy of reading and unlock new worlds of knowledge and awareness.”
During the ceremony held at the school, the new library was unveiled, and the learners received the much-needed learning materials. They excitedly perused a diverse selection of their new books to take home for lending purposes. Currently, the library houses over 180 titles in two languages.
This successful project has already been implemented in two other schools: AA Khumalo Primary School in Mpumalanga and Nompumelelo Primary School in the Eastern Cape. The previous launches of libraries coincided with the 2023 annual “World Book Day”.
Nal’ibali (isiXhosa for “here’s the story”) is a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign. It seeks to spark and embed a culture of reading in children from birth to 12 years of age, across South Africa, through cultivating, enticing reading content in all South African languages.
Nal’ibali promotes the use of home languages in nurturing and strengthening reading culture in children as home language is transparent, easy to learn and is the first language that children connect with, in order to socialise and make sense of the world around them. Nal’ibali stories build a healthy ongoing appetite in children to engage more with reading, and to develop other important literacy skills while creating their own reading experiences. Children who develop strong relationships with books and reading materials.
Image and source: The Nal’ibali Trust
