After School Reading Clubs – Beyond the schedule

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. 

Who Is Who In Literacy – Meet The Bookery

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.

Connecting across continents for literacy – Beanstalk CEO, Ginny Lunn

It was around a kitchen table in London that Susan Belgrave and 8 other friends decided that the rate of illiteracy amongst English children was not acceptable, so they decided to do something about it. They started to volunteer in schools and work one on one with children who were struggling with reading.

Who Is Who In Literacy – Meet Biblionef

Have a bookshelf lined with books at home? Count yourself privileged. In South Africa, access to books is a major challenge hindering literacy; a challenge that particularly impacts children from impoverished families, who are less likely to own or have access to reading material at home.

The Beanstalk Share and Learning Journey

My journey began as I stepped into London, a buzzing city with vibrant people and energized in every aspect. Shortly after our arrival, we met the team at our sister organization Beanstalk, a diverse group of people who are passionate about literacy.

Climbing The Beanstalk

On the 2nd of October, three help2read staff members embarked on a Learning Share Journey to London to visit our literacy sister charity, Beanstalk. It was a very educative journey of many miles around the UK, which was akin to climbing a giant beanstalk!

Shining A Light On Literacy – Our Annual Gala Dinner

What do Brand South Africa’s Pumela Salela, brilliant wit and satirist Rory Bremner, De Beers’ CEO Bruce Cleaver and Bonham’s Giles Peppiatt have in common? They all participated in last night’s second help2read “ Shine A Light on Literacy” Gala Dinner.

Tackling the poverty of opportunity – Monique’s story

In South Africa, over 66% of the population is under the age of 35. Sadly, young people aged 18 to 35 also make up the bulk of South Africa’s unemployed population. There are a number of reasons for this, but there’s one that we believe is particularly crippling – the poverty of opportunity.

Celebrating The Joy Of Reading During Literacy Month

September saw our teams increase our efforts in highlighting the growing concerns around the number of children who are able to read and write at even a basic level. National literacy month challenged many to focus on ways of improving literacy levels and highlighting the importance of reading and having access to books.