CHALLENGE

Helping young South Africans achieve their potential demands a greater investment in literacy skills of primary grade learners in a rural areas.  This challenge is being addressed through enhancing teachers’ skills and recruiting and training community members to serve as literacy volunteers.

APPROACH

The KaMhinga Literacy Project is a $1.5 million program implemented by the nonprofit organization, siyaJabula siyaKhula (Zulu for “we grow together”). The project is co-funded through a partnership between USAID, J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation and the ELMA Foundation, a South African-based philanthropic organization, with non-financial support from the South African Department of Basic Education. The project, based in a rural village of northeastern Limpopo Province, concurrently trains community members to work directly with under-performing learners and provides mentoring and coaching for teachers. The project is also contributing to job creation by employing community members, who receive a stipend for their involvement. The project, which began in July 2012 and will end in June 2015, aims to sustainably achieve primary grade reading levels at a 60% learner literacy level.

OBJECTIVES

1. To improve primary grade literacy through child-focused reading materials.

2. To increase the capacity of rural teachers in providing quality literacy-based instruction. 

3. To develop transferable, work-related skills for community members.