Loyalty programme recognises and rewards South African literacy activists

Summary

The most recent PIRLS study found that 78% of South Africa's grade four learners can't read for meaning. Of the 50 participating countries SA has the worst performance. Nal'ibali is a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign that aims to spark children's potential through storytelling and reading, as we know that children who read and who are read to in languages they understand, will go on to enjoy better academic success. Nal'ibali is building a culture of reading in SA. This culture requires a massive change in behaviour towards reading, which we are doing by: Creating knowledge and awareness around reading-for-enjoyment through event participation, reaching people via mass media and digital engagement. We address the lack of access to quality reading materials by distributing books, magazines, bilingual newspaper reading supplements in eight (soon to be nine) SA language combinations, and broadcasting radio stories in 11 SA languages weekly. We create opportunities to read through establishing reading clubs for adults and children to enroll in, and we take measures to ensure reading clubs remain sustainable and of a high quality. We create opportunities for adults to lead by example by being reading role models, through training on how to run reading clubs in a face-to-face and/or digital format. Our reading role models have the opportunity to network with one another through the online based FUNda Sonke loyalty programme. Nal'ibali is committed to removing barriers to accessing quality children's stories by providing content digitally as well as in print.

Background/Objectives

To change South Africans' attitudes to reading, Nal'ibali relies on a volunteer network of literacy activists (FUNda Leaders :funda" is read in isiXhosa). They are everyday people who want to see reading become part of the SA narrative. They run reading clubs, read to children in ECD centres and after school facilities, and share reading materials. Nal'ibali needed a hub to retain the volunteers, to give a sense of belonging, and an opportunity to network and share challenges within the community. We needed to recognise and reward contribution and create opportunity to upskill by taking our online study modules.

Results/Lessons Learned

The platform provides a sense of belonging. It allows our volunteers to be recognised and rewarded for their literacy activities, while retaining them in the network. We track individual behaviour and use automated SMSs to reactivate dormant volunteers and motivate high achievers. Basic technology has allowed us to build trust through personalised communication. Though we regularly incentivise active volunteers, we've seen (common in many loyalty programmes) that it's the same people who engage over and over, so focus needs to be on acquisition and motivation. Data remains a challenge and prohibits volunteers from uploading photos/videos for monthly activities. Engaged members get through the three training modules quicker than we'd anticipated, so we need to create new content speedily to keep them engaged. Unengaged members appear to complete just the first (and most elementary) training module, citing lack of time and data as their reasons. Prizes are really valued and appreciated!

Discussion/Implications For The Field

Training works best face-to-face, but it's impossible to reach national scale and effect tipping point change this way. Digital is the future, but as many of our target audience are in the poverty cycle (just 21% use our website), they lack basic access to affordable computer software and data connectivity so are unable to access Nal'ibali's freely available content, intended to help them. The cost of internet and data services in SA remains amongst the highest in the world, so the poorest people remain the most affected. So alternative complementary behaviour change strategies need to be found.

Abstract submitted by:

Benjamin Rycroft - Nal'ibali Trust