Nal’ibali gets top honour

Nal’ibali, South Africa’s reading for enjoyment campaign, is Africa’s sole recipient of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards, which honour 15 organisations from around the world for their implementation of best practices in literacy promotion.

The Library of Congress, said to be the largest library in the world, officially announced the winners of the 2019 Literacy Awards on Thursday, and Nal’ibali was singled out as the only African-based organisation to be honoured at the awards for its efforts to improve reading levels in SA.

The Literacy Awards, originated by David M Rubenstein in 2013, honour organisations doing exemplary, innovative and replicable work in the literacy arena.

They highlight the need for communities worldwide to unite in working for universal literacy.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said literacy was the ticket to learning, opportunity and empowerment on a global scale.

“Through the generosity of Rubenstein, the Library of Congress is proud to honour and celebrate the achievements of these extraordinary organisations in their efforts to advance reading levels, and give people the foundation for a better life,” Hayden said.

Nal’ibali received sterling recommendations from the DG Murray Trust and the United States Agency for International Development, which supported Nal’ibali in its quest to earn this award.

DG Murray Trust CEO Dr David Harrison reiterated his confidence in Nal’ibali’s vision of promoting literacy development.

“Nal’ibali’s core aim is to spark and embed a culture of reading for enjoyment, making reading, writing and sharing stories – in all SA languages – part of everyday life,” he said.

To date, Nal’ibali has managed to distribute more than 30 million newspaper reading supplements, circulate almost 500,000 books, train more than 13,000 people and reach millions of children through its World Read Aloud Day campaigns.