The readers of today are the leaders of tomorrow
Until recently, the skills development NPO has focused on young adults, but their newest initiative sees them partnering with Queen Butterfly and focusing on the youngest of community members to promote literacy.
The day-to-day running of a non-profit organisation (NPO) can be daunting; staff are constantly holding thumbs that, somehow, resources will become available to keep their initiatives alive a little longer.
There is a never-ending need to find donors and sponsors that can keep each organisation running, and for the people who run these organisations, their sanity lies in their passion for their work. In September 2019, the Queen Butterfly Foundation released a children’s book called Bluebelle Loves Springtime. It was written and illustrated by Julie Botha in hopes of raising money for the NPO that cares for physically and mentally disabled children.
The City of Johannesburg Department of Arts and Culture paid the costs of publishing the book so Queen Butterfly could use all the money they received from sales for the Foundation’s essentials.
In the 10 months since the release of the book, not many copies have been sold and fundraising efforts seemed to be falling short. However, things looked brighter when Ruben Nakene from the Mo-Afrika Ithlokomele Educational Project contacted Palesa regarding a partnership. Mo-Afrika Ithlokomele is also an NPO and has several initiatives that involve accredited skills development courses aimed at helping underprivileged people gain skills needed to get a job.
Until recently, the skills development NPO has focused on young adults, but their newest initiative sees them partnering with Queen Butterfly and focusing on the youngest of community members to promote literacy.
Ruben contacted Palesa after he heard about Queen Butterfly’s book, and the NPO purchased 150 copies for their new initiative. “The readers of today are the leaders of tomorrow,” said Ruben, adding that all too often he comes across adults who cannot read. So with this new initiative, Mo-Afrika hopes to open a library in Soweto, promote reading and teach children to read so they may have a more prosperous future.
Palesa was elated with the offer; not only would the money from the books sales help the Queen Butterfly Foundation, but the positive effect of the Foundation Phase reading material may promote literacy in the communities where education has often fallen short and the literacy level of its community members has been too low.
The initiative will officially be launched once the coronavirus pandemic has plateaued and it is safe for people to gather again. The books were, however, delivered to the Mo-Afrika Ithlokomele Educational Project on 2 July and several copies were handed out to children in the area.
The Queen Butterfly Foundation still has hundreds of copies of their book available after sales and donating some to Early Childhood Development Centres. If you would like to buy your copy of the book or find out more about the Foundation, contact Palesa Mofokeng on 081 795 7531.
