The City of Cape Town’s libraries will play their part this World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) on Wednesday 7 February, when they join the reading campaign with Nal’ibali in hopes of reaching 3 million children across the country through the magic of story reading.
WRAD was founded by LIT World in 2010 in celebration of the values of reading aloud, community literacy and the importance of sharing stories.
Nal’ibali are the local drivers of the project in South Africa and each year they set a national target.
This year the goal is for all participants, including parents and caregivers, to read to at least 3 million children across the country.
The City’s Library and Information Services (LIS) is one of the key partners in this initiative and this year WRAD events will be hosted by all the libraries across the city.
“One of our aims is to develop a culture of reading among our children and it starts with hearing stories being read out loud. Listening to a story does more than take you on an adventure you have to imagine,” said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.
“Reading aloud develops listening skills, models the use of language, and improves vocabulary and comprehension. It also motivates young children to read for themselves.”
Most City libraries will offer storytelling sessions and in some suburbs, librarians will go out to areas where young children are not able to visit the library on their own.
The City’s flagship event will take place at the Green Point Urban Park where 200 children, who have been invited, will listen to stories by a number of storytellers.
To pledge your support and to download stories which can be read out loud on the day, visit the Nal’ibali website at https://nalibali.org/
“Finding time in our busy days to read aloud to our children can be a challenge,” added Van der Ross. “I want to encourage parents and caregivers to start this WRAD with one story. We often highlight the many benefits of reading to children and bonding with your child is only one. It’s an investment in their education and future, which only costs some of your time.”
Visit your nearest library to find out what they are doing for WRAD or go to https://opac.capetown.gov.za/client/en_US/k/.
