History

The Family Literacy Project began in 2000 to address the concern raised by findings of research conducted by Khulisa Management Services that showed no improvement in the early literacy levels in pre-schoolers, despite training and support provided through the national Department of Education. To explore the role of families, the FLP held workshops in rural sites in southern KwaZulu-Natal for adults caring for children at home. These workshops provided opportunities for adults to discuss, learn and experiment with ways they could use everyday experiences and materials to build early literacy skills in their children. A participatory rural appraisal conducted late in 2000 showed that the adults wanted to improve their own literacy. Five women, chosen by the FLP groups to become facilitators, were trained in adult literacy , early literacy and the participatory Reflect approach. Teaching units were developed to meet the interest of family literacy group members on topics such as child protection, committee skills, HIV/AIDS and special days. Building on the success of our work we are now working in another six villages in the Sisonke District. This year we started the Family Literacy Network to promote family literacy more widely.