Standard Bank makes an investment in literacy with Nal’ ibali
Standard Bank has partnered with the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign to launch a special COVID-19 relief project aimed at helping select communities in Gauteng and Limpopo to navigate and alleviate the disruptions to the 2020 school year and beyond, through the power of stories.
Seizing the possibility in the pandemic
While the pandemic has presented major challenges for most families, the partners have chosen to see the opportunity in the crisis and have been helping families in 14 different communities in Gauteng and Limpopo to establish new daily routines that support their children’s literacy and school learning, right from home.
Understanding the importance of reading
“Reading underpins all school learning, and the reality is that most children in South Africa struggle to read.
However, the national state of disaster and associated lockdown have meant that families have had more time to create new habits such as daily read-aloud routines,” says Yandiswa Xhakaza, Nal’ibali CEO.
“By providing them with access to stories in their mother tongue language, as well as tips on how to read and share stories with children of different ages, we’ve been helping caregivers to tap into their innate ability to build their children’s literacy and language skills.”
A network of ten specially trained Nal’ibali literacy experts have been supporting 120 families in the two provinces; sharing different locally contextualised children’s stories and offering support with the school curriculum through interactive WhatsApp groups for caregivers.
Further, the Nal’ibali team have also been facilitating the safe return to school for some learners with health and safety guidance.
Standard Bank’s commitment to literacy
Recognising the power of investing in South Africa’s youth to change the trajectory of the country, Standard Bank is committed to nurturing a love of reading amongst SA children.
The partnership with Nal’ibali forms part of a long-term strategy aimed at reducing illiteracy which is the first step in helping young South Africans turn their dreams into a reality and realising that whatever they want in life can be.
“A fully literate nation could boost the size of our GDP by 25%. When children can read, they are more likely to finish school, get a decent job, lift their family out of poverty and grow our economy.
Investing in our children and their literacy learning makes sense – and contributes greatly to the social, economic and environmental impact we make,” says Pearl Phoolo, CSI Education Projects Manager at Standard Bank.
To date Standard Bank has invested over R17 million into literacy and youth empowerment projects and, starting this September, or Literacy and Heritage month, it is encouraging its staff members to become literacy activists too.
Standard Bank employees have been given the opportunity to join the bank’s project with Nal’ibali and are encouraged to begin nurturing a love of reading with the children in their own lives by becoming reading role models and reading with their children daily.
Learning by example: The power of story
Storytelling is a forerunner for children’s literacy learning in all languages and forms part of our national heritage.
Many of our traditional stories, historically told by grandparents around fires, feature characters such as the jackal and the hare, wise old men, and greedy giants. Starting with different phrases such as once upon a time, kwathi ke kaloku ngantsomi or kwasuka sukela; these stories have been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and are in danger of being lost.
Giving members of the public an opportunity to experience the power and magic of story themselves, and in a bid to inspire and enable them to pass it on, the partners commissioned a retelling of a traditional African tale by renown storyteller, activist and author, Sindiwe Magona.
Those wishing to nurture a culture of reading in their own communities at home are encouraged to sign up for Nal’ibali’s free reading-for-enjoyment training at www.nalibali.mobi.
