When a hand injury left Trudy Willoughby unable to continue her career as a Physiotherapist, she looked for ways that she could make a meaningful impact through volunteering. “I came across a help2read advert for volunteers in Child’s Magazine”, she said. “I applied and this is where my journey with help2read started.”
Meet Makgotso, a young 23-year-old from Alexandra township in Johannesburg. When Makgotso heard that help2read were looking for new Literacy Tutors, she knew that it would be the perfect opportunity for her to give back to her community.
When Sonelisa walked past a help2read poster on the Wits University campus, she knew she had to find out more. As a teacher in training, Sonelisa is passionate about Education and volunteering as a Reading Helper seemed like the perfect fit for her.
When Veronica Hendricks retired at the end of 2011, she decided to use her time to do something impactful for her community. A resident of Athlone in Cape Town, Veronica saw an ad in the local newspaper calling for Reading Helpers.
Meet Deena Chetty, a Volunteer Reading Helper at Claremont Primary School in Cape Town. Deena returned to South Africa after 13 years of living abroad and was overwhelmed by the harsh realities that exist throughout the country.
As 2017 draws to a close, the findings of the 2016 PIRLS study are top of mind. They present a devastating truth: that 8 out of 10 Grade 4 children in South Africa cannot read for meaning in any language.
help2read is delighted to have finalised a partnership with German-based child rights development agency, terre des hommes (TDH), to expand its Literacy Tutor programme to the Diepsloot community north of Johannesburg. Through funding from TDH and others, 2018 will see 20 newly recruited and trained Literacy Tutors (LTs) provide help2read’s flagship one-on-one reading help assistance to some 250 learners.
Earlier this year, we launched an after-school programme to extend our reading support beyond the academic calendar. Reading Clubs and Holiday Reading Clubs were piloted at partner schools in Johannesburg and Cape Town during 2017. The result: jam-packed classrooms filled with children eager to read and participate in the fun after-school literacy programme.
In a country where access to books is a huge challenge, school libraries can play a key role in connecting learners to age-appropriate reading resources. Sadly 90% of government schools in South Africa do not have functional libraries.
Registered SA Non-Profit 063-979 PBO 930027054 UK Charity Reg No. 1109567 Registered Office: Oak Farm Cottage, Mill Street, Gislingham, Suffolk, IP23 8JT
