Family Literacy Project working with uMngeni Municipality to seize literacy opportunity as Reach Out to Read programme stands ready
A major literacy opportunity for children and schools in the uMngeni area is now poised for implementation as the Family Literacy Project awaits the final commitment from uMngeni Municipality to nominate Reading Champions for training.
The Family Literacy Project’s Reach Out to Read (ROTR) initiative has already secured funding for both the training and literacy kits required for participants. The next training is scheduled to take place at the Michaelhouse Trust in Mooi uMngeni as soon as municipal nominees are confirmed.
The programme comes at a critical time for South Africa, where concerns around reading comprehension and literacy outcomes continue to dominate educational discussions nationally.
In March 2026, the organisation successfully trained 18 delegates at the Michaelhouse Campus in Balgowan through a five-day intensive Reading Champion workshop. Participants included ECD practitioners and community literacy leaders who were trained in:
• The science of reading and the reading brain
• Scarborough’s Reading Rope
• Phonics and phonological awareness
• Decoding, fluency and comprehension
• Multi-sensory learning approaches
• Practical classroom literacy implementation
• Community reading promotion strategies
Participants also conducted practical school-based implementation sessions at Simucelile Creche and Jabula Primary School.
Feedback from attendees described the programme as “transformational”, “practical”, and “highly relevant” to the realities facing rural and township schools.
Pierre Horn said the organisation remains deeply encouraged by the Municipality’s willingness to partner and hopes the final steps can now move forward.
“We have had very constructive engagements around this partnership for some time and are genuinely excited by what can be achieved together,” Horn said. “The funding is in place, the training team is ready, and the literacy kits are prepared. We are now looking forward to welcoming the Reading Champions identified by uMngeni Municipality into the programme.”
The Reach Out to Read programme operates in multiple districts across KwaZulu-Natal and focuses on strengthening literacy from early childhood through the foundation phase by equipping local Reading Champions to support children, teachers, parents, and caregivers.
Educational stakeholders say programmes such as Reach Out to Read are increasingly important in addressing literacy gaps in under-resourced communities and helping children develop the reading skills required for long-term academic success.
