Tyler, Ang & Sky walk 20 miles!

Tyler, Sky, and I are raising funds for a new group of 230 five-year-olds to join Thanda's After-School Programmes next year. Yup- even Sky is going to walk the 20 miles along the River Thames in support of Early Literacy- she has her sneakers ready and has been training! Her goal is to walk the whole way (and one day have gold sneakers to match her daddy's). 

People often say that “books are magic,” and I agree, but books alone are not the answer— there are enough dusty books sitting in well-intentioned libraries all around Africa to prove this. What is needed are books plus a good program that encourages reading in a fun, supportive way, with activities that help to unlock the magic of storybooks. That’s why we  have put a lot of time and energy into developing an After-School programme that uses storybooks as themes for all areas of learning. The programmes and activities Tyler has designed enable children to identify with characters and narratives for the first time, and really start to love reading. We also work with their parents or grandparents so they understand the joy of reading together at  home- and since there are no books in the households, our mobile library makes this possible (last year 9 861 books were checked out- a  huge increase from  just 420 books the year it started!)

Since 78% of children in Gr. 4  in South  Africa still cannot read, programs like this are essential for changing the trajectory of their whole learning experience.

Tyler has been reading to Sky since she was 1 week old and she loves it! Thank you for helping us give this opportunity to 230 more children next year.

Love Tyler, Ang & Sky 

P.S. Check out Thanda's Latest Impact Report here