Evaluating the effectiveness of the Nal'ibali reading for enjoyment campaign supplements

About

In 2018, Nal’ibali commissioned JET Education Services to undertake a formative evaluation to ascertain the effectiveness of the Nal’ibali bilingual reading for enjoyment supplement. The evaluation examined the following thematic areas: targeting; use; appropriateness; quality; messaging; and cost-effectiveness in relation to the different distribution strategies used. The formative evaluation was undertaken to inform and guide improvement of the campaign and specifically the bilingual supplements. Nal’ibali was established in 2012 as a reading for enjoyment campaign which aims to spark children’s potential through storytelling and reading and build a culture of reading for enjoyment in South Africa. Nal’ibali promotes reading and writing in home languages and aims to encourage and nurture extant reading practices in homes and organisations which can, and do, contribute to literacy development. The campaign would like to see reading and writing rooted in children’s daily lives and for South Africa to become a nation of readers and storytellers.

Objectives

To promote a sustainable culture of reading for enjoyment in South Africa by inspiring children's learning, creativity, and lifelong development through storytelling and reading. The campaign seeks to unlock children's full potential by encouraging regular reading practices across communities, while engaging people of all backgrounds, races, and age groups. A key focus is to empower parents, caregivers, teachers, librarians, and other adults who live and work with children to become positive reading role models, fostering supportive environments that nurture children's literacy skills, imagination, language development, and love of reading from an early age. Through these efforts, the campaign aims to strengthen family and community involvement in children's education and contribute to improved literacy outcomes nationwide.

Resources