Sandpits and Story Circles – How Lenasia South and Orange Farm pre-schools are rewriting their own literacy story
ORANGE FARM: In a country where less than half of Grade 4 learners can read for meaning, educators in Orange Farm and Lenasia South are demonstrating the power of community initiatives to close the gaps.
In the heart of Orange Farm Ext 1, a group of preschoolers sit cross-legged around a sandpit, tracing letters in the dust. “B + A + L + L = ball,” chants their educator, Dimakatso Mbele in English. She then repeats the exercise in isiZulu and Sesotho.
20 books make all the difference in a home
MAKHANDA: In the Masete household in Ghost Town, Makhanda, a young girls holds both a baby and a book, confidently reading aloud to her siblings and cousins. It wasn’t always like this. It was a transformation that began with a simple parcel of books dropped at their gate during the height of COVID restrictions.