The Family Literacy Project is in partnership with a number of NGOs who have similar approaches and aims as we do.
Community Work Programme
After very successfully partnering with Tembaletu Trust and the Aids Foundation of South Africa in the Community Work Programme (CWP) in Sisonke and Impendle in 2013, we are waiting to hear which NGOs we will be partnering with in this programme in 2014. Last year FLP trained 175 women – who were employed as home visitors in the CWP – to each visit six rural families to introduce adults to ways to provide early stimulation for young children to build early literacy and language skills. In 2014 we will continue to provide support to those trained last year as we train new home visitors in new villages. We aim to reach 4000 children once a week in their own homes, to engage in early literacy and learning activities with them, and to introduce the importance of early stimulation, safety and good nutrition to their primary carers. We congratulate Temabletu Trust on receiving the 2013 award for best CWP project nationally from the Extended Public Works Programme.
Asifunde Sonke and Noah’s Ark Pre-School
These two initiatives, which offer formal ECD training and a centre-based ECD facility, were part of Vukuzakhe Projects when the merger with FLP took place in September 2013. With Vukuzakhe Project’s informal and adult/youth education activities transferring to FLP, Vukuzakhe Projects now focuses on formal ECD provision and continues to provide an organisational home to Asifunde Sonke and Noah’s Ark. In response to the overwhelming need for trained ECD practitioners who can offer quality ECD to young children in remote areas of the province, Asifunde Sonke is training .16 second year students and 23 first year students who are all on a fully accredited, level 4 ECD qualification. 76 children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years attend the Noah’s Ark Pre-School centre. Our director, Pierre Horn continues as a board member of Vukuzakhe Projects.
Uthando Project Inc www.uthandoproject.org
These remarkable women who live in Australia and make soft black dolls which they send to KwaZulu-Natal for our children in the province, recently visited us to share their work. We have been receiving dolls from Uthando Project Inc for the past four years. The community libraries all have a collection of dolls that children play with, and the home visitors all have a doll in their toy kits. A number of the literacy group members have attended training in doll making, and we are now looking at how to support some of the groups to make dolls that we can use in our programme.
Save Act www.saveact.org.za
In 2009 FLP and Save Act formed a partnership to include savings clubs in our work. Family literacy groups that had been meeting for seven years are trained for 18 months to manage their own savings clubs. Over time all FLP groups will be supported to set up their own savings clubs. Savings are adding a new dimension to FLP’s literacy work, as members use their literacy skills to form committees and keep financial records.
Nal’ibali reading for pleasure campaign www.nalibali.org/about-us/
FLP is working closely with PRAESA and AVUSA Media who spearhead the Nal’ibali reading for pleasure campaign which aims to promote a culture of reading in young children. Weekly supplements, a substantial website with loads of activities and ideas to promote literacy activities, and regular training sessions all form part of what Nal’ibali offers to partners. While the partnership does not provide financial support, we do receive books and prizes which are distributed to the reading clubs.
African Storybook Project www.africanstorybook.org
We are delighted to be partnershing with the African Storybook Project (ASP) . Zimbili Dlamini, who is responsible for the Mpumlwane and Ndodeni Community Libraries is FLP’s coordinator for the project, which is being piloted in Kenya, Uganda and southern Africa. The aim is to provide a wealth of free openly licensed stories in local African languages for early reading.
ASP are constructing a website that will provide access to enjoyable stories for children to read, which can be translated into a local language or dialect, adapted to the desired reading level, and downloaded and printed, or read on a variety of devices. Ndodeni library will soon receive digital and electronic equipment from ASP to enable the community to access the internet, and especially to be able to download stories and upload local stories.
Member of the Ingwe and District Humanitarian Coalition of civil society organisations working in the Ixopo and Creighton area of Sisonke District Municipality.
Member of the Early Childhood Development Technical Task Team
Member of the South Africa Reflect Network (SARN).
Member of Reading Association of South Africa (RASA).