Our Work - help2read

READING SUPPORT. LITERACY RESOURCING

WHAT WE DO

We help children from disadvantaged communities learn to read.

Our literacy intervention programmes are run at public primary schools across South Africa, and provide children who struggle to read with one-on-one attention from a volunteer Reading Helper or community Literacy Tutor. Through consistent literacy input, reading help and fun activities, the children that participate in our programmes not only learn to read, they fall in love with it.

Reading Help

Our Volunteer Reading Help programme supports children who attend suburban schools but come from disadvantaged communities. These children often do not speak English as their primary language, and so benefit greatly from the one-on-one literacy tutoring they receive from our trained volunteers.

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Literacy Tutor Programme

We recruit and train unemployed, literate adults from township communities to be Literacy Tutors and deliver our literacy programme in township schools. The Literacy Tutors receive a stipend and participate in a personal development and work readiness programme, helping them to secure a better future for themselves and their families.

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External Partnerships Programme

The External Partnership Programme (EPP) works in collaboration with any child-focused organisation that values education, from children’s homes to schools and after-school care centres. We offer partners our core help2read training, programme assistance, ongoing support and access to assessments. EPP also works with tertiary institutions to provide avenues for practical experience and community outreach for students.

Literacy Training

We want the love of reading to be encouraged in and beyond the classroom, which is why we provide training in literacy support to students, teachers, child care workers, care givers and parents.

Book Boxes

A lack of access to literacy and reading resources is a serious challenge in South Africa, which is why we provide schools with carefully designed help2read Book Boxes. A treasure trove of literacy resources, our Book Boxes contain quality reading material, educational games, literacy worksheets and writing materials. The books and games are carefully selected to ensure they are age- and stage-appropriate, and are sometimes the only colourful resources that our children have the opportunity to engage with.

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WHERE WE WORK

We run literacy intervention programmes in suburban and township public primary schools across the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces in South Africa.

In the Western Cape, our work is primarily focused in the Cape Town area, extending to Paarl and Wemmershoek. In Gauteng, we work with primary schools in the greater Johannesburg area. We aim to expand our reach to other provinces in South Africa in the near future.

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HOW WE WORK

We’re committed to providing sustainable, long-term literacy support for learners, which is why our implementation model sees success across the schools and within the communities where we work.

Literacy support at schools

Prior to launching a help2read programme, the participating school must secure at least five volunteers. We then work closely with educators to identify learners that struggle with reading, and can benefit from the weekly literacy support. Once selected, the learners receive 30 minutes of one-on-one attention from a trained literacy tutor at least twice per week for the duration of the school year.

Partnerships

Collaboration is central to tackling the literacy crisis in South Africa. We have partnered with a number of NGOs, corporations and Government departments, who provide help2read with financial and organisational support. In addition, we collaborate with various organisations in the education sector, to which we provide key training in literacy support. This in turn helps to generate a sustainable income stream to support our work.

Volunteer Reading Helpers

Our programmes in suburban schools are delivered by trained volunteer Reading Helpers. Our Reading Helpers commit to volunteer for a period of six months, dedicating 30 minutes of their time, twice a week. This commitment ensures that each child receives consistent and long-term input.

Literacy Tutors

In township schools, our literacy support is provided by help2read Literacy Tutors as part of the community Literacy Tutor programme. Each Literacy Tutor receives training and personal development input, while the other half of their time is dedicated to providing their 12 assigned learners with literacy support for the duration of the school year.

WITNESS OUR WORK

Go behind the scenes for a deeper look at how we are helping thousands of children learn to read.

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