Nal’ibali celebrates World Read Aloud Day

Nal’ibali, the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, promotes reading by celebrating World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) on February 3.

This is to draw attention to the importance of reading aloud to children in their mother tongue.

It has been bringing a special story to children to celebrate WRAD for the past eight years. In the first year, in 2013, the campaign reportedly reached at least 13 000 children.

According to Dorria Watt of KC Communications, in 2021 the goal is to read aloud to three million children in a single day.

She said this was an ongoing campaign to urge parents, teachers and caregivers to read aloud to the children in their lives.

“The announcement that schools will be opening two weeks later than anticipated means learners will lose more school days in 2021. The pandemic meant learners lost valuable school time in 2020, and the importance of reading has become even more relevant, especially for primary school children,” said Watt.

She said the NGO commissions a brand new story, best suited for reading aloud to primary school children and translates it into all 11 official languages.

The 2021 story and author

According to Watt, this year’s story is Fly, everyone fly! by Sihle Nontshokweni, the best-selling children’s author of Wanda published in 2019.

Watt also outlined that the author said sharing stories with children can help them become resilient and brave in real-world situations.

She said: “The beauty of stories is their immersive nature. They allow children to enter a world in which they believe. In that sacred world, they can find the language and tools they need to deal with the pressures of the external world.”

Nontshokweni will be giving a special reading of the story, live on Nal’ibali’s Facebook page @nalibaliSA at 1pm on the day.

Caregivers and their children are invited to join the digital read-aloud not only to hear the story but to engage with the author and each other too.

“Another champion of reading, Christina Nomdo, the Western Cape children’s commissioner, will also be giving a virtual reading of the story on the campaign’s page. The commissioner will be specifically highlighting the power of stories to set children up for success in school and life,” she said.

The power of stories

According to Watt, reading underpins all school learning and children who read regularly perform better in the classroom, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances.

“Stories can be shared anytime, anywhere. Wherever children and caregivers find themselves on February 3, Nal’ibali is encouraging them to start or maintain a reading routine. This simple habit can be an invaluable investment in their futures,” she said.

Reading to children

Watt told the RECORD that many caregivers do not realise the benefit of reading and sharing stories with babies and children as young as three to six.

“But it is the children who were read to when they were very little who perform better in school. They will have better developed their memories, vocabularies and comprehension skills,” she said.

The Centre for Early Childhood Development and the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) have come on board to help open up the day to pre-school children and their caregivers. This reportedly follows the recent crisis in the early childhood development (ECD) sector.

Eric Atmore, director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University, said the lockdown has had an adverse impact on children.

“The year 2020 saw the extended closure of ECDs during lockdown. The result of this is that many of these facilities have had to permanently shut their doors, leaving scores of young children bereft of early learning opportunities, meals and safety,” said Atmore.

To help ensure these children are also able to benefit from the simple power of stories and join in the nationwide celebration, PRAESA has developed a short guide for caregivers on how to share Nal’ibali’s official WRAD story with children aged three to six. The guide is available to download from the campaign’s website in seven official languages.

Nal’ibali invites caregivers to read its story aloud to children of all ages, whether they find themselves at home, in the classroom or in the community.

Members of the community wishing to get involved can visit www.nalibali.org or WhatsApp “WRAD” to 060 044 2254 to make their pledge.

They can also gain free access to the official story and PRAESA’s guide to sharing the story with pre-school children.

They are also encouraged to share pictures of their read-aloud sessions online using the hashtag #MyWRAD2021.