Earlier this month, ICMIF member AVBOB (South Africa) announced the launch of the third AVBOB Road To Literacy campaign. This campaign is launched in partnership with Oxford University Press Southern Africa (OUPSA) and aims to make a significant impact on South Africa’s literacy landscape.
The AVBOB Road To Literacy campaign, initiated in 2022, continues to expand each year. In 2024, the campaign plans to donate an impressive 500 trolley libraries to deserving primary schools and educational Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs). This marks a substantial increase, close to double compared to the 260 trolley libraries donated in 2023, and significantly more than the 180 trolleys donated in 2022. AVBOB and OUPSA are set to contribute 250 000 books, surpassing last year’s 130 000 and 2022’s 77 400 books. This year, each trolley, with an estimated worth of ZAR 65 000, will be furnished with 500 books tailored to the CAPS curriculum. AVBOB says the total investment value for the 2024 Road To Literacy campaign amounts to ZAR 32,5 million.
This year’s campaign aims to address the severe literacy crisis which was revealed in the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) findings from 2021.
The PIRLS exposed a critical challenge: 75% of South African schools face a shortage of reading materials – a stark contrast to the international average of 45%. Furthermore, Grade 4 learners struggle to read for meaning, with 81% demonstrating an inability to comprehend written texts in any language in 2021 – an increase from 78% in 2016. South Africa ranked last among the 57 participating countries, which underscores the urgency for effective interventions.
Kebo Mosweusweu, AVBOB General Manager: Shared Value and Sustainability, emphasised the campaign’s mission, saying, “Today’s investment in literacy and numeracy is tomorrow’s harvest of empowered leaders. Every child, regardless of background, deserves the key to unlock boundless potential through reading and critical thinking skills”.
OUPSA Managing Director, Karen Simpson, expressed pride in the partnership, highlighting the impact of providing high-quality, age-appropriate books to deserving schools.
Starting on 12 February 2024, the public was invited to participate by submitting electronic nominations for deserving primary schools or educational NPOs. Nominators should share why their chosen institution deserves to win a trolley library equipped with books.
The beneficiaries will be announced in June this year and the handover of the trolley libraries to the beneficiaries will be facilitated by AVBOB local offices in partnership with OUPSA and representatives from the selected schools/NPOs.
