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.
