Reports for EDU-WC-MAR09-0006
Project now in progress.
Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
Creating a love of reading
Thu, 2 February 2012
“Zoe has become confident when reading. She now always volunteers to read aloud in class. When speaking to her she answers confidently and fluently.” - Teacher at Square Hill Primary, Retreat
IMPACT REPORT: help2read - Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
The help2read literacy support programme provides training to volunteers who then conduct weekly one-on-one reading sessions with primary school learners. Beginning in March 2010, the programme set out to recruit 160 volunteers to work with 330 learners and help them to improve their reading.
This report revisits the project 6 months after its completion to assess the impact that is has had on the lives of the children and volunteers it worked with.
Impact
- In total 348 learners were assisted through the programme, exceeding the programme’s target of 330.
- help2read trained 210 community members as potential volunteers. Of these, 132 went on to become volunteers, 30 of whom left the programme during the year. Reasons for volunteers dropping out include a lack of interest in the programme and volunteers finding employment elsewhere.
- Assessments of the learners enrolled in the programme show significant improvements in reading levels. These assessments were carried out an average of 5.1 months apart, but learners’ reading abilities on average improved by 9.8 months.
- Before the intervention, 138 learners who were assessed were unable to read at the appropriate level for their age. All of these learners were able to read at or above the appropriate level by the end of the intervention.
- Learners in grades 2, 3 and 4 improved the most, and on average now read above the required level for their age. This creates a solid foundation for these learners who in 2012 will begin the school year at or above the required reading level for the first time, and suggests that help2read’s strategy of concentrating on learners in these grades is the right one.
Challenges
Volunteer retention and recruitment were the biggest challenge that help2read faced in implementing this project. Often, volunteers personal circumstances would change – for example by fnding full-time employment – and they would no longer participate in the programme. Strategies have since been implemented, particularly in the Khayelithsa area, to increase volunteer retention and recruitment and improve the quality of the service offered by colunteers. These include:
- The use of open days to recruit volunteers. This means that volunteers can ask questions and make an informed decision before attending training.
- Training taking place in the community at schools, thus making it more accessible to potential volunteers.
- Encouraging schools to recruit their own volunteers, which will allow help2read to identify potential volunteers who already have a stake in the performance of the school and are therefore more likely to stay committed.
- Placing a larger number of volunteers at fewer schools. This is easier to coordinate and increases efficiency, lowers costs and ensures maximum impact at each school. Having a bigger group of volunteers at each school also helps to create a sense of camaraderie among the volunteers.
- Significantly increasing onsite support and guidance from support workers during volunteer reading sessions, which has led to improved volunteer retention and motivation.
- Nominating and training some volunteers as volunteer coordinators. They will be required to ensure volunteers’ regular attendance and will assist in facilitating effective communication with the support worker and other volunteer reading helpers.
Conclusion
The children who participated in this programme are better prepared for learning, and for many, 2012 will be the first year that they are able to read at an appropriate level before starting a new school year. This has an enormous impact on their ability to perform in all school subjects and means that they are far less likely to fall behind in their school work.
Through this project, help2read have demonstrated the effectiveness of their programme. In the future, the organisation plans to expand its programme both in the Western Cape and in Gauteng. As their work grows in scale, more and more children will benefit from having a literate adult support spending time with them and assisting them with their reading. Eventually, this will contribute to the higher number of literate adults – a vital first step in addressing South Africa’s crisis of unemployment.
Schools eager to join the literacy programme
Fri, 29 July 2011
“Zoe has become confident when reading. She now always volunteers to read aloud in class. When speaking to her she answers confidently and fluently.” - Teacher at Square Hill Primary, Retreat
REPORT 4: help2read - Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
The help2read literacy support programme provides training to volunteers who then conduct weekly one-on-one reading sessions with primary school learners. Beginning in March 2010, the programme set out to recruit 160 volunteers to work with 330 learners. They planned to work with 25 schools over a 12 month period. This report covers the period between December 2010 and May 2011. The programme was extended by a further three months to allow help2read to recruit more schools.
Activities and Outcomes
- In total 348 learners have been assisted through the programme, exceeding the programme’s target of 330. 47 learners joined between December 2010 and May 2011. Since learners entered the programme at different times during the year, some have already completed their 12 months while others are still involved in the programme. There are currently 217 learners in the programme.
- During the course of the programme, help2read trained 210 community members as potential volunteers. Of these, 132 went on to become volunteers. A further 30 volunteers left the programme during the year. Reasons for volunteers dropping out include a lack of interest in the programme and volunteers finding employment elsewhere.
- The number of participating schools increased from 16 in November 2010 to 22 in June 2011. Mitchells Plain has the most number of participating schools with eleven, and there are eight and three schools in Khayelitsha and Retreat respectively. Schools are now approaching held2read to initiate the programme instead of help2read having to approach schools. This has been the case for Yomelela Primary and Encotsheni Primary, two schools in Khayelitsha
- Significant headway was made in recruiting volunteers in Khayelitsha with 68 volunteers joining during April and May 2011. Help2read has actively engaged this community through workshops, consultations with the community on their needs, meetings with circuit managers from the community and through advertising billboards.
Expenditure
The total cost allocated by SASIX was R 232 450. This amount has been paid out in full.
| Description | Total Budget | Total Expenditure |
| Project Management and administration | 120, 000 | 120, 000 |
| Volunteer training workshops (refreshments) | 4, 000 | 4, 282 |
| 1 quarterly skills workshop | 4, 000 | 4, 216 |
| Schools notice-boards | 500 | 500 |
| Literacy resources | 12, 500 | 12, 574 |
| Newsletters | 1, 200 | 1, 028 |
| Volunteer recruitment costs | 10, 000 | 10, 133 |
| Laptop computers | 8, 000 | 7, 252 |
| Road travel | 15, 000 | 14, 904 |
| Learner pre- & post-intervention testing | 37, 500 | 37, 900 |
| Supervisory/Progress Meetings | 1, 250 | 1, 250 |
| Volunteer training evaluation | 500 | 345 |
| Report writing | 300 | 300 |
| Administration costs | 17, 700 | 18, 501 |
| TOTAL | 232, 450 | 233, 185 |
Challenges
Help2read’s main challenge has been the volunteer dropout rate after training as well as during the programme. Help2read is working towards having larger groups of volunteers at fewer schools. These efforts aim to increase a sense of accountability among volunteers and create a sense of group camaraderie. Furthermore, these efforts are intended to increase efficiency, lower costs and improve impact at each school.
Monitoring and evaluation
Literacy assessments are conducted at the beginning and end of each intervention. These focus on learners’ knowledge of the alphabet, phonemic awareness, sight word recognition, comprehension levels and fluency. Volunteer provide feedback on learner’s performance quarterly. As some learners are still in the programme, help2read will provide feedback on these learner’s performance and additional programme learnings in their next report. This will provide further information on the programme’s impact.
At the end of each 12 month period, a report is compiled based on a sample of learners from the help2read programme. The report includes learners across the 95 schools involved in the literacy programme and not only from the 22 SASIX-funded schools and provides insight in to how learners have progressed overall. As the 95 schools all follow the same programme, this report should fairly reflect the progress at the SASIX schools. The following findings emerged from the report:
- Grade 3 and 4 learners showed the best improvement in reading levels compared to other grades. Initial assessments showed that none of the Grade 3 learners was reading at the required level. Within an average period of seven months, 67.5% of Grade 3 readers were reading at or above their grade level.
- Although Grade 1 and 2 learners improved in letter name knowledge, phonetics and sight words, improvements in their reading level was minimal. This could be due to their low level of pre-literacy skills at the outset of the programme. The help2read intervention has however provided essential building blocks for their future reading capability.
- Little improvement was seen in the older primary school learners most of whom began at a very low reading rate. Improvement rates were 8.3% and 10.2% for Grade 5 and 6 learners respectively. The lack of a solid reading foundation has had influence on these rates
Conclusions
The help2read literacy programme continues to grow within Cape Town communities, especially in Khayelitsha. Despite some initial challenges in Khayelitsha, help2read has engaged the community and ultimate established itself as a genuine stakeholder. Feedback from volunteers and teachers cites improved confidence and literacy skills among learners and this reflects positively on the organisation’s efforts and impact.
Catching up after a difficult year
Fri, 11 March 2011
“Sandiso’s reading has improved over the last few months due to the help2read programme. He is much more at ease and confident when it comes to the reading period.”- Teacher
REPORT 3: help2read - Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
Help2read's literacy support programme relies on training motivated volunteers to lead weekly one-on-one reading sessions with struggling learners in primary schools in the province. This project started in March 2010 and aimed to recruit 160 community volunteers to reach 330 children in grades 2 – 7.
The project experienced serious disruptions in 2010 as a result of the extended holidays for the Soccer World Cup and the teachers’ strike. So far it has trained 70 volunteers and reached 155 children. GreaterCapital and help2read have agreed to extend the project for another three months so that it can reach its targets.
The project timeline is March 2010 to May 2011. This report refers to the period between June and November 2010.
Activities and Outcomes
Since early 2010, help2read has inducted 16 new schools to its literacy programme in Mitchell’s Plain, Khayelitsha and Retreat. There are 70 volunteers at these schools are assisting 155 learners. In February 2011, three new schools - Sivuyiseni and Chumisa in Khayelitsha and Heathfield Primary in the Retreat area, were accepted to the programme. Presentations have also been scheduled at two more potential Khayelitsha schools.
During the Christmas holidays, 22 volunteers from Mitchell’s Plain, Khayelitsha and Retreat were trained. These volunteers will begin lessons with learners in the first two weeks of March and will assist about 50 learners. Late last year, the City Vision, a local newspaper in Khayelitsha, published an article about help2read. The piece, written by a journalist who attended a help2read training day in Khayelitsha, created significant awareness and interest in the programme. Since then, help2read has started advertising regularly in this newspaper to recruit more volunteers.
help2read has secured the in-kind sponsorship for billboards at 30 schools and other locations around Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain. These signs will indicate help2read partnerships, provide information about the organisation and act as a call to action for volunteers.
help2read is liaising with two Khayelitsha curriculum advisors from the Department of Education to discuss how the Department might include help2read as part of their strategy for literacy improvement in the near future.
Expenditure
The total budget for this project was R 232,450 and has been paid in full.
| Description | Total Budget | Total Expenditure |
| Project Management and administration | 120, 000 | 102, 000 |
| Volunteer training workshops (refreshments) | 4, 000 | 4, 282 |
| 1 quarterly skills workshop | 4, 000 | 4, 216 |
| Schools notice-boards | 500 | 500 |
| Literacy resources | 12, 500 | 12, 574 |
| Newsletters | 1, 200 | 1, 028 |
| Volunteer recruitment costs | 10, 000 | 10, 133 |
| Road travel | 15, 000 | 13, 059 |
| Learner pre- & post-intervention testing | 37, 500 | 18, 900 |
| Supervisory/Progress Meetings | 1, 250 | 1, 250 |
| Volunteer training evaluation | 500 | 345 |
| Report writing | 300 | 300 |
| Administration costs | 17, 700 | 16, 899 |
| TOTAL | 232, 450 | 194, 340 |
The remaining R38, 110 will be used to continue training with a new intake of volunteers.
Challenges
The main challenges have been the recruitment of schools in Khayelitsha and fluctuating volunteer retention rates.
Schools in the area, which were closed for up to three weeks during the teachers’ strike, are desperately trying to catch up with the school programme. The resulting time constraints make it very difficult to run any extra-curricular activities. This has had a direct impact on the programme targets: a number of recently recruited volunteers are now waiting for placement. help2read also changed their strategy by focusing more volunteers on a smaller number of schools.
The strikes also affected the assessment of new learners entering the programme.
Help2read plans to continue recruiting schools to join the programme. They will revisit their progress at the end of the year and consider redirecting efforts towards other areas in order to utilise the pool of volunteers who are ready to be placed.
Monitoring and evaluation
Data continues to be collected on a monthly basis to assist help2read in determining beneficiary numbers. Volunteers provide quarterly feedback on their experiences as well as on the children’s learning needs.
Post-intervention assessments will be performed at the end of the year. This will provide some evidence of the progress of learners participating in the programme.
Conclusions
Despite a difficult year, help2read has made steady progress in the schools where it is working. The feedback from volunteers and teachers, who have indicated that learners are improving both in terms of literacy and speaking confidently, has been very encouraging
It takes a long time to see the full benefits of any education intervention. This is made even more complicated by the highly demanding environment in which this intervention takes place. Despite facing challenges, help2read has forged strong partnerships with relevant organisations, which should enable further reach and a greater intensity of their activities in needy areas.
The extension of this project for another three months will allow help2read to reach the targets that they set for themselves at the beginning of this project.
Enthusiastic groups of volunteers join the programme
Tue, 7 December 2010
"It has been enlightening, I have taken learned many things. I think as a parent we forget how to praise our children. It is my daughter’s birthday today and today I can go home and encourage her with good words to help her for her future” - Volunteer attending help2read training
REPORT 2: help2read - Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
Help2read's literacy support programme relies on training motivated volunteers to lead weekly one-on-one reading sessions with struggling learners in primary schools in the province. At the end of this project, 330 learners in Grades 2 – 7 will have had reading sessions with a community volunteer for 12 months. Help2read will recruit 160 community volunteers in four cycles. These volunteers will undergo a week’s training. At the end of each term, volunteers, support workers and teachers will assess the children’s progress.
The project timeline is March 2010 to February 2011. This report refers to the period between June and November 2010.
Activities and Outcomes
The programme is now active in 94 schools in Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha where, to date, 76 volunteers are committed to assisting 114 struggling learners. This represents an almost 40% increase in the number of children attending the programme since June.
Help2read’s efforts to recruit new volunteers into the programme have been highly successful: since June there have been 44 new volunteers.
A refresher workshop for existing volunteers was held in July. Three guest speakers presented topics on praise, conflict resolution and nurturing children’s self esteem to an audience of 107 volunteers. In September a total of 34 new volunteers were trained specifically for working at schools in Khayelitsha.
Eight schools were recuited into the programme: Yellowwood Primary, Eastville Primary, Imperial Primary, Cascade Primary and Liesbeeck Primary in the Mitchells Plain area and Sobambisana Nomsa, Mapongwana Primary School and Kukhanyile Primary, in Khayelitsha. All new schools received a box of literacy resources, containing books, games and stationery for the use of both the volunteers and the school. Yellowwood Primary received an extra box of books to assist in the start up of their school library.
Help2read continues to be active in the promotion and advertising of the programme. Their activities include networking with the Early Childhood Development Forum in Khayelitsha, the painting of murals about the programme by False Bay College students, holding Open Day sessions at community halls and the promotion of the programme on radio.
Expenditure
The total cost of this project is R232 450, of which R34 868 has been paid.
| Description | Total Budget | Total Expenditure |
| Project Management and administration | 120, 000 | 73, 800 |
| Volunteer training workshops (refreshments) | 4, 000 | 2, 782 |
| 1 quarterly skills workshop | 4, 000 | 4, 216 |
| Schools notice-boards | 500 | 500 |
| Literacy resources | 12, 500 | 9, 574 |
| Newsletters | 1, 200 | 1, 028 |
| Volunteer recruitment costs | 10, 000 | 5, 345 |
| Road travel | 15, 000 | 9, 934 |
| Learner pre- & post-intervention testing | 37, 500 | 8, 900 |
| Supervisory/Progress Meetings | 1, 250 | - |
| Volunteer training evaluation | 500 | 345 |
| Report writing | 300 | - |
| Administration costs | 17, 700 | 15, 325 |
| TOTAL | 232, 450 | 138, 472 |
Challenges
Currently the main challenge is the recruitment of schools in Khayelitsha. Schools in the area, which closed for up to three weeks due to strike action, are desperately trying to catch up with the school programme. The resultant time constraints make it very difficult for extra-curricular activities to take place. This has had a direct impact on the programme targets: a number of recently recruited volunteers are now waiting for placement.
The strikes also affected the assessment of new learners entering the programme.
Help2read plans to continue recruiting schools to join the programme. They will revisit their progress at the end of the year and consider redirecting efforts towards other areas in order to utilise the pool of volunteers who are ready to be placed.
Monitoring and evaluation
Data continues to be collected on a monthly basis to assist help2read in determining beneficiary numbers. Volunteers provide quarterly feedback on their experiences as well as on the children’s learning needs.
Post-intervention assessments will be performed at the end of the year. This will provide some evidence of the progress of learners participating in the programme.
Conclusions
Volunteers are now “queuing” to assist learners in their reading efforts. Although learners in Khayelitsha are some of the most needy, their schools are focused on catching up curriculum related activities before the end of the year in order to offset the consequences of the winter strike.
It takes a long time to see the full benefits of any education intervention. This is made even more complicated by the highly demanding environment in which this intervention takes place. Despite facing challenges, help2read has forged strong partnerships with relevant organisations, which should enable further reach and a greater intensity of their activities in needy areas.
Schools show great interest to get volunteer support for their learners
Wed, 4 August 2010
"I have learnt a lot about children and learning needs as well as different ideas I could even use to help my own child” - volunteer at the Sobambisana Primary School in Khayelitsha
REPORT 1: help2read - Literacy Support Programme in Cape Town Metropole
Help2read's literacy support programme relies on training motivated volunteers to lead weekly one-on-one reading sessions with struggling learners in primary schools in the province. At the end of this project, 330 learners in Grades 2-7 will have received reading sessions with a community volunteer for 12 months. 160 community volunteers will be recruited in four cycles and given a week’s training. At the end of the term, volunteers, support workers and teachers will assess the children’s progress.
The project timeline is March 2010 to February 2011. This report refers to March to June 2010.
Activities and Outcomes
The programme has managed to attract interest from a total of 17 schools in Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha where, to date, 32 volunteers have committed to assist 82 struggling learners.
By the end of June 2010: * 5 schools in Khayelitsha were visited for preliminary discussions; and formal presentations on the programme will follow at these schools. * 3 schools in Mitchells Plain were formally introduced to the programme and have agreed to participate. * 26 volunteers have received training and have been deployed. * 2 office laptops were purchased in order to enable good administration and management of the programme. * A total of 115 school reading resources for schools have been purchased, including phonic readers, sports books, books in indigenous languages, activity books and non–fiction. * Monthly newsletters were sent to all volunteers to keep them informed of the progress of the programme, with mailing including a set of reading exercises that volunteers can use during their reading sessions or with their own children.
In addition, help2read has established new and meaningful partnerships: the Khayelitsha Educational Forum has offered to assist in setting up a help2read office within the community, therefore enabling the organisation to be more accessible to the local community. Meetings have also taken place with other organisations such as the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO) and the Volunteer Centre.
Expenditure
The total cost of this project is R 232,450, of which R116, 225 has been paid.
| Description | Total Budget (as per budget approved by SASIX) | Total Expenditure to date |
| Project Management and administration | 120, 000 | 36, 900 |
| Volunteer training workshops (refreshments) | 4, 000 | 1, 358 |
| 1 quarterly skills workshop | 4, 000 | 4, 216 |
| Schools notice-boards | 500 | 500 |
| Literacy resources | 12, 500 | 5, 472 |
| Newsletters | 1, 200 | 1, 028.15 |
| Volunteer recruitment costs | 10, 000 | 1, 641.20 |
| Road travel | 15, 000 | 3, 154 |
| Learner pre- & post-intervention testing | 37, 500 | - |
| Supervisory/Progress Meetings | 1, 250 | - |
| Volunteer training evaluation | 500 | - |
| Report writing | 300 | - |
| Administration costs | 17, 700 | 7, 880 |
| TOTAL | 232, 450 | 68, 871.19 |
The R4, 216 expenses for one skills workshop were committed in advance prior to the hosting of the workshop, which will be reported in detail in the next progress report.
Challenges
The main challenge faced by help2read has been the low intake of new volunteers. For this reason, help2read has focused efforts on networking and research within beneficiary communities on the best approach to recruitment and marketing the programme within the community.
Other challenges have included school-based logistical difficulties, such as schools cancelling meetings or presentations. Sometimes volunteers’ personal circumstances change and, once trained, they are not always able to commit to volunteering. The procedures that help2read has put into place and which have resulted from years of experience, ensure that these challenges are either overcome or the risks associated with these challenges minimised.
Monitoring and evaluation
Data on beneficiaries is collected on a monthly basis which assists help2read to monitor beneficiary numbers. The main form of evaluation to track learner progress will be implemented in August 2010.
Conclusions
Project implementation is on track despite a long school holiday during the FIFA World Cup. Now that the majority of the 25 schools are on board, help2read will focus its efforts on volunteer recruitment and support. The preliminary outcomes of the reading support provided to learners in the programme will provide insight into improvements in literacy and attitude towards reading.
