Durban North family hopes for a more literate South Africa

A NEWLY launched CSI education resource project, Stellar Stars, was recently initiated by a family of women to improve literacy levels in the country.

The project, comprised of robust A6 ring-bound booklets and wall charts, is managed and marketed by Katey Watkin, and was the brainchild of her sister, Sarah Whitaker, who has been a foundation phase teacher for over 16 years.

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Assisting with the project are Whitaker’s daughters, Hannah and Emily, and her mom, Sue, who was a 3-merit teacher and HOD with 48 years of experience in primary and adult education.

Speaking to Northglen News from her home in Durban North, Watkin said she and her family are really hoping to make a difference in the literacy levels in South Africa.

“The material is written in four languages – isiZulu, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa – and is suitable for learners in the foundation phase, starting from Grade RRR. The literacy problem in South Africa needs to be addressed as it is dire,” she said.

“The background as to why we started Stellar Stars is due to the personal experiences of my mom and sister. My mom was a SETA facilitator who provided training for adults, and the harsh reality is that some of them struggled to read and write. My sister’s domestic worker has a son who had to drop out of school also because he was not literate. He eventually managed to find employment but lost his job as he could not meet the requirement of obtaining a driver’s licence as he couldn’t read or write,” said Watkin.

She is calling on the corporate sector to sponsor the teaching material to needy schools all around Durban. The private sector is also welcome to purchase the material should they wish to. The hope is that the private sector will take these home to teach even the elderly in the community as nobody is ever too old to learn.

“The material has been written and compiled by my sister from teaching methods which have proven to be successful in her classrooms. It is comprised of the alphabet, numbers, colours and shapes, with future phases to come, including days of the week, months of the year, weather, seasons and themes just to name a few. What’s great about it is that the material is ‘write and wipe’ so all that’s needed is a whiteboard marker or your finger to trace for children to learn the added extras of correct letter and number formation,” said Watkin.

“We have a never-ending list of schools in need of resources, or companies can nominate a school of their choice. Corporates will have their branding printed on each item, as well, which can align with their CSI programmes,” she added.

Five percent of the proceeds will go to the following charities: Meals on Wheels, HOLAH Babies’ Home, The Robin Hood Foundation, St Francis Feral Cats and The Valley Dogs.

For more information or to purchase material, visit www.stellarstars.org/shop.

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