Reach Out to Read
Building confident readers through language, community, and care
Programme Overview
Reach Out to Read is a structured, evidence-based literacy programme supporting children to develop strong foundational reading skills from an early age.
Rooted in under-resourced communities, the programme connects homes, schools, and local networks to create environments where reading can grow and thrive.
What We Do
- Develop strong mother-tongue (isiZulu) literacy foundations
- Deliver a structured, evidence-based approach to reading
- Provide graded readers and multi-sensory learning activities
- Support progression through a clear, four-level reading journey
How We Work
Our approach is community-based and collaborative:
- Teachers receive training, resources, and ongoing mentorship
- Parents and caregivers are supported to read with children at home
- Community spaces and libraries are activated as literacy hubs
- Reading Champions (youth) are trained, creating both impact and opportunity
Kits and Resources
Reach Out to Read provides robust, user-friendly teacher and learner kits designed to support literacy development in homes, classrooms, libraries, and community spaces.
The kits include:
- Structured lesson guides and activity plans
- Graded isiZulu readers aligned to programme levels
- Multi-sensory teaching and learning materials
- Practical, easy-to-use resources for teachers, caregivers, and facilitators
Designed specifically for low-resource environments, the kits are accessible, engaging, and adaptable across a variety of learning settings.
Reading Champion Training
A key component of the programme is the training and development of Reading Champions — previously unemployed youth between the ages of 18–35 from within local communities.
Through this training, Reading Champions:
- Gain practical skills in early literacy facilitation
- Support children, teachers, and caregivers in literacy activities
- Assist with programme delivery in schools, libraries, and community spaces
- Develop confidence, leadership, and workplace skills
This model not only strengthens literacy support at community level, but also creates meaningful opportunities for youth development, skills training, and employment.
Why It Matters
Reading is the foundation for learning.
Reach Out to Read supports children to become confident, capable readers — opening the way for continued learning, participation, and growth.
Looking Ahead
The programme is designed for adaptation and growth, with the potential to expand to scale across all South African languages and communities.
Adult Literacy
Members of the FLP Literacy Groups become significant resource people in the community. Some of them have moved from learning to sign their own documents, read simple instructions on medicine bottles to being skilful with ATMs and cell phones. Using the REFLECT methodology, when members ask for more information on topics such as health, growing vegetables, maintaining peace in their families the FLP facilitators respond to these felt needs by researching and developing interactive learning sessions.
A major focus in the group is encouraging the Adult carers to talk to their children, read books with their children and help them with letter sounds. In this way the concepts and tools of the Reach Out to Read program are shared across different sectors of the community. The members have been trained in a well acclaimed Home Visiting Program called “Khulisa Abantwana”. This is a most effective way of both exercising and spreading their learning in the community. Read more about this under the focus of EARLY LEARNING.
Community Libraries
From No Library to a Culture of Reading: Transforming Rural Communities Through Books.
The Family Literacy Project has established a network of community libraries and reading centres in deep rural communities across KwaZulu-Natal, bringing books and learning opportunities to areas where access to reading material was previously extremely limited. To date, we have built six community libraries and centres, including two purpose-built container libraries, and have refurbished, equipped, and stocked an additional library within a rural primary school.
These libraries serve as vibrant community hubs where children, youth, and adults can access a wide range of high-quality books in both isiZulu and English. Community members borrow books, read on-site, participate in storytelling sessions, join reading clubs, and engage in a variety of literacy and learning activities.
In many of the communities where we work, public libraries are non-existent or are often many kilometres away, making regular access to books difficult or impossible. By establishing libraries within the heart of these communities, we ensure that families have convenient and meaningful opportunities to read, learn, and grow together.
To extend our reach beyond the library walls, we also provide box libraries and hanging libraries in areas where a permanent library facility is not yet available. These innovative mini-libraries bring books directly into homes, schools, Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, and community gathering spaces, ensuring that reading opportunities are available to even the most isolated families.
Our libraries play an important role in supporting local schools and ECD centres by promoting reading for pleasure, strengthening literacy development, and encouraging parents and caregivers to become active partners in their children’s learning journey.
More than simply places to borrow books, our libraries are welcoming, inclusive spaces that foster a lifelong love of reading, strengthen community connections, and create opportunities for learning across generations.
Early Learning
Our early learning initiatives focus on creating a strong literacy foundation for young children in engaging and interactive activities.
Our delightful Home Visiting program, “Khulisa Abantwana” equips members of the Adult Groups with special skills to share with neighbours where there are toddlers. Carrying a bag of educational toys and attractive story books, the Adult Group member sits on the floor with the children and follows a pre-planned program, engaging with everyone in the household. Overburdened, often reluctant grandmothers gradually begin to see the value of spending focused time with their toddlers. They themselves are energized and encouraged by the home visit. Over the weeks a series of topics are covered and with great sensitivity the home environment is improved with regard to safety and the well-being of the children who live there. This is just one way that the love and value of reading is spread in the community, and children who are isolated are prepared for school with social and intellectual skills.
The FLP team provides regular support to Crèche and Grade R teachers in the community, strengthening early learning through a play-based Reach Out to Read Level 0, centred on the early language and comprehension strand of Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Through songs, stories, oral language activities, vocabulary development, rhymes, games and meaningful interactions, teachers are equipped with practical strategies to build strong foundations for listening, speaking, thinking and later reading success in young children.
Educator In-service Training
The Reach Out to Read Educator In-Service Training is a 5-day, in-person professional development programme offered by Family Literacy Project. The training combines theory and practical application in the Science of Reading, early literacy instruction, and effective use of the Reach Out to Read teaching and learning kit. Educators are equipped with evidence-based strategies, hands-on teaching techniques, and resource-rich tools to support strong foundational reading development in classrooms and community settings.
