Stamp of approval for postcards from children of SA

There is nothing quite as nostalgic as receiving a handwritten note in the post.  

And on September 17, children across SA — many for the very first time — will be invited to experience the thrill of mailing a postcard to a loved one in SA, free of charge at selected post offices.

This opportunity — a commemoration of National Literacy Month — is made possible by the SA Post Office and Nal’ibali.

Nal’ibali, a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign to spark children’s potential through storytelling and reading, has been working with the post office since 2016.

Each edition of its award-winning bilingual reading-for-enjoyment newspaper story supplement is delivered to 480 post offices across the country for its partner community-based organisations to collect.

An additional 20 copies are made available at each branch for members of the public wanting to enjoy the stories and support the literacy-learning of the children in their lives.

Nal’ibali  chief executive Yandiswa Xhakaza said Nal’ibali’s efforts were geared towards promoting a culture of reading, which could transform SA.

“People who read are innovative — they become pioneers, game-changers and captains of their industries.

“Children who read become adults who can change the world,” she said.

This September, which is National Literacy Month, Nal’ibali and the SA Post Office are giving SA children a fun and practical platform to use their writing skills.

On the 17th, between 1pm and 3pm, children can visit a participating post office branch to send a postcard to their friends or family for free.

“The postcards will be provided by Nal’ibali and can be posted anywhere in SA.

“Our literacy activists will be on standby to help children write or draw on their cards and post them off to their loved ones,”  Xhakaza said.

According to SA Post Office group chief executive Nomkhita Mona, reading skills, as the single biggest contributor to a child’s school success, are as vital as writing skills.

“However, only 17% of SA schools have a library stocked with books and very few homes have more than 10 titles on their shelves.

“That is why we are happy to distribute Nal’ibali’s supplement to reading clubs, schools, libraries and community organisations all over the country,” she said.

Additionally, Nal’ibali will be increasing the number of supplements available to the public from 20 to 40 at all the partnering branches of the post office throughout September. 

Available in nine SA languages, the supplement has a range of exciting and accessible reading resources designed to help children fall in love with reading.

Each edition includes stories that can be folded and cut into a book, activity suggestions for teachers and caregivers, motivational messaging and information about reading, news from the Nal’ibali network, and games and activities for children.

Nal’ibali runs several more fun initiatives that promote reading, including radio programmes and multilingual storytelling resources.

Members of the public can support the project either by donating ) or  by joining Nal’ibali’s network of volunteering literacy activists, FUNda Leaders.

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