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Nal’ibali, the national reading-for-enjoyment campaign aimed at sparking children’s potential through reading and storytelling, has been awarded The Joy of Reading Prize by the Systematic Joy of Reading.
The award was presented by Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, president of the International Library Association, on 1 June in Denmark.
Twenty-eight projects from around the world were nominated, focusing on initiatives that disseminate the joy and ability to read, and thus engage in the fight against illiteracy.
Jade Jacobsohn, Nal’ibali’s Managing Director, received the award on behalf of her dedicated team in South Africa. “I would like to dedicate this award to the 17 000 literacy activists in South Africa – we call them FUNda Leaders – everyday ordinary people who have signed up with Nal’ibali to create opportunities for the children in their lives to fall in love with books.”
“I’d also like to dedicate this award to my fierce and fabulous team of fellow Nal’ibalians who are immersed on a daily basis in the hardships of social inequality and poverty, as they fight to give children the best chance they can get of rising out of it. The ability to read with understanding," she said.
Must read: Addressing SA's reading crisis may start with screen time
She concluded with the formidable words of Nelson Mandela, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. The foundation of education is literacy.’
The international jury applauded Nal’ibali for its long-term impact and influence on local communities in South Africa and for parents in particular, who have become role models for their children’s reading habits.
They complimented Nal’ibali’s framework that creates a nurturing environment, as well as generating the assortment of multilingual reading materials, so that children from all age groups can learn to love reading in the many mother tongues spoken in South Africa.
Also see: These sisters are reading bedtime stories to kids all over the world
This international recognition award comes with a prize of $10 000 which will go towards stocking up Nal’ibali’s newly launched mobile libraries for Story Power in Motion, ensuring both children and adults have access to great stories in their home languages.
To find beautiful local stories and audio to spark joy for reading in your children visit Parent24's Storytime Hub.
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