Dorothy Lee, Executive Director of nonprofit organisation LitWorld, believes literacy is a human right.
“LitWorld’s annual World Read Aloud Day has become a movement engaging hundreds of millions of people around the world in standing up for literacy as a foundational human right.”
Lee said that when communities had access to strong literacy tools, every aspect of life improved.
The South African organisation, Nal’ibali believes a well-established culture of reading can change education in South Africa and added literacy skills were an important predictor to achieve academic success.
“A child who is subject to regular reading and hears stories in a language they understand, will be motivated to learn to read and write.”
The organisation celebrates World Read Aloud Day every year, and 2020 was no different, when people gathered at different venues including in Vryheid, to read to the children.
Nokukhanya Thwala, a stay-at-home mother, invited a few local children to the Vryheid Library last Wednesday to read the story A Day to Remember by Lerato Trok.
This story is available in all eleven official languages and was issued by Nal’ibali especially for World Read Aloud Day, to enable caregivers across the country to read to their children.
“Children are struggling to read, especially Grade Four children, and I want to encourage them to read,” said Thwala.
She has read to her children every night since they were babies and believes this encouraged her children to read often.
“Knowledge is power, and we need to empower the future leaders of our country.”

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