First provincial grassroots handover tackles crisis where 8 in 10 learners can’t read for meaning
NORTHEN CAPE: As National Book Week (5-11 September) kicks off National Literacy Month, the Northern Cape has become the first province to receive books through a Read with Wimpy and Ladles of Love literacy initiative, with 600 brand-new multilingual, multicultural storybooks now in the hands of young learners in need across the region.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. The 2025 Thrive by Five Index findings released this week paint a stark picture of inequality and the urgent need to strengthen early learning – revealing that less than half of preschool children are meeting developmental milestones.
A key challenge remains the lack of books in households. Among enrolled children, only 11% of families reported having more than five children’s books at home, while 26% had none. For non-enrolled children, the figure was worse, with 77% of caregivers reporting no children’s books at all.
The collaboration between the Read with Wimpy Initiative and Ladles of Love forms part of the non-profit organisations “Advancing Education through Nutrition Roadshow,” using the NPO’s established network across underserved communities to facilitate mother-tongue reading at early childhood development (ECD) level.
With 81% of Grade 4 learners nationwide unable to read for meaning according to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021), the Northern Cape initiative addresses the urgent need for accessible, culturally relevant reading materials in under-resourced communities.
Ladles of Love, which has served over 48 million meals since March 2020, brings proven community relationships and distribution capabilities to the literacy initiative. “With the right fuel for their bodies and the right tools for their minds, we’re ensuring that no child is left behind due to the circumstances of their birth,” says Yolanda Jones, Ladles of Love programme director.
Five Northen Cape schools receive handovers
The Northern Cape distribution reached five schools across the region: Little Paradise in Mothibistad, Kidz Kingdom in Kangung, Little Hearts in Kuruman, Itekeng Dikweng in Dikweng, and Open Foundation in Kuruman.
Each child receives two carefully selected books – one in their mother tongue to build foundational reading skills and cultural identity, and another in English to prepare them for future academic and professional success.
“We are an English-medium school, where our children learn to read in their mother tongue, but their learning is in English,” explains Principal Vanessa of Kidz Kingdom. “Far too many of our children cannot find their way outside the village because of the language barrier. Our children will live in cities, they will have good jobs or own businesses, and they will travel the world. They’ll be able to speak to anyone they meet, because we are setting them up to succeed.”
National impact, local delivery
The Northern Cape handover launches the provincial rollout of a 6,000-book donation spanning three provinces, with Western Cape and Gauteng distributions to follow.
“It was through our children’s campaigns over the years that we realised the severity of the literacy crisis,” says Jodi Law, Wimpy brand manager. “We noticed that there was a growing need for children to read relatable books, preferably written in their home language.”
Image credit: Freepik
