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.
