Funda Wande is supporting the Department of Basic Education’s Read to Lead campaign, a national effort to improve reading across South Africa. Reading is the foundation for all learning. This work aligns with Funda Wande’s mission to ensure that all children can read for meaning and calculate with confidence by age 10. Read to Lead recognises that improving reading is a shared responsibility. Children need support in classrooms, homes and communities. They need access to books, regular reading opportunities, and adults who can help them build confidence and enjoyment in reading.
Building on the Reading Champions programme
This work builds on the successful rollout of the Reading Champions programme, which supported young people and teaching assistants to promote reading in schools and communities. Reading Champions helped children engage with books and stories, supported reading activities, and strengthened the link between schools, homes and communities. The programme showed the value of practical support. When teachers, teaching assistants, parents and communities have clear tools and guidance, they are better able to support children’s reading.
Supporting the Literacy Promotion Toolkit
As part of Read to Lead, Funda Wande is supporting the rollout of the Literacy Promotion Toolkit. The Toolkit provides practical guidance for schools, districts and communities working to promote reading. It helps different role players understand what they can do to support children’s literacy. Funda Wande’s role is to help make this support easier to access, use and implement at scale.
Give a child the gift that lasts forever: literacy.
WhatsApp-based support
To support the rollout, Funda Wande has developed a WhatsApp-based support tool for Read to Lead. The tool helps users access information, navigate the Toolkit, receive updates, complete check-ins and share progress. WhatsApp provides a simple and familiar way to reach teachers, teaching assistants, school leaders, district officials, parents, caregivers and community members. This can help strengthen implementation and improve visibility of what is happening across provinces and districts.
Working together to improve reading
Improving reading outcomes requires coordinated action. It requires strong classroom teaching, quality materials, support for teachers and teaching assistants, and active reading cultures in homes and communities. Funda Wande is proud to support Read to Lead through our work in early literacy, teacher support, learning materials, implementation and digital tools. Together with the Department of Basic Education and other partners, we remain committed to helping more children learn to read for meaning.
