OUR FUNDERS
As part of its commitment to systemic change in the education sector in South Africa, the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation has identified early reading and literacy as one of the key levers of change that could lead to significant systemic change. The PIRLS (Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study) indicates that as much as 78% of South African learners at the Grade 4 level cannot read for meaning. This problem is compounded even further when one delves further into indigenous languages. With an energetic and innovative approach to a complex problem and a broad national footprint, Nal’ibali is seen as a strategic programme partner and national campaign for change that can contribute towards significantly affecting the early reading and literacy sector in South Africa.
Riyaadh Ebrahim
FirstRand Empowerment Foundation
The battle for improved quality of education is fought in many fronts in South Africa - from government to civil and business societies each is doing their bit. Elsewhere, there is an organization that has gone back in time to revive the age-old tradition of storytelling as way of passing on history , culture tradition and sharing in the overall fun of stories. They do that to spark interest in children and adults so that reading and story telling do not become an after-thought, but integral part of who they are. Through this, a seed for life-long learning is planted and credit goes to the unwavering and tireless endevours of Nal'ibali through their Story Powered Schools Activity.
Morgan N. Mthembu
Project Development Specialist – Education
As a co-funder and –founder, the DG Murray Trust remains committed to the audacious vision of Nal’ibali. We are convinced that to achieve a national culture of reading, there needs to be a multi-pronged national campaign that is big enough, intensive enough and sustained for long enough to have a profound impact on children’s relationship to reading. Given its scale and longevity, Nal’ibali is best positioned to spark and sustain a culture of reading in South Africa’s children. By foregrounding reading as a cause worth advancing, and proliferating reading clubs across the country, we are confident that Nal’ibali will inspire a love affair with reading that will improve the educational prospects of children throughout the country. Like the slogan goes, national change “starts with a story”.
Dr. Sebabatso Manoeli
Acting Deputy CEO
VW Community Trust is very focused on Corporate Social Investment (CSI) activities that result in empowerment.Using a more practical approach, we go way beyond funding charities and projects. Our flagship projects and other approaches are done in a way to train and educate previously disadvantaged people, so that they can learn and eventually sustain a better life for themselves. In other words, we move away from creating dependency and rather move towards setting an example of self-sufficiency.
As we strive to make a large impact on the lives of others, we have national flagship projects that help us to achieve this. The Ikhwezi Lomso Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre in Uitenhage on the doorstep of our Volkswagen SA plant is an example of one of our education projects. Another example is the KwaNobuhle loveLife Y-Centre, which sees about 40 000 young people go through its doors every year.At the VW Community Trust, we let the community know about our projects while giving back to the community. We offer tours of our various flagship projects to show the public what we do and how we promote and create sustainable living for those less fortunate and in disadvantaged communities
We aim to bring about change and make a sustainable impact in underdeveloped and underprivileged communities through interactive partnerships with other stakeholders