How can reading books change lives in rural communities? Ask the students at Crawford Preparatory La Lucia or Clarendon Primary in the Eastern Cape. They, along with seven other schools, participated in Heifer International South Africa’s Read to Feed programme last year. For every book a child reads in the Read to Feed programme they raise money, through family and friends sponsoring them, for supporting Heifer’s mission in South Africa to defeat hunger and poverty. Not only does this programme help provide training and animals to needy communities, the programme also improves the student’s reading and comprehension skills and increases their awareness of critical issues affecting South Africa and globally.
To make everlasting changes and provide the youngest ones with better opportunities in their future, as well as raise awareness about poverty and food security issues in South Africa, we run the Read to Feed programme. The programme gives learners a chance to discover the joy of reading, while at the same time developing a sense of social responsibility. The programme has been successfully run in several schools, Hillcrest Christian Academy, Bishops Preparatory School in Cape Town, St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Kloof, Crawford College La Lucia and Redeem College to name just few. It has gained recognition amongst teachers, parents as well as the young learners. Read to Feed is also supported by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a supporter of the programme said, ‘’Read to Feed is more than a reading programme, it is also an opportunity for children to change the world. I strongly support the Read to Feed programme.’’
The programme is simple to implement and run, and having your school support our work will, we believe, be mutually beneficial. There is no cost to the school for participating in the programme. It usually runs for about 4 - 6 weeks.
One very exciting new initiative is the Superheroes Challenge. This challenge invites pupils to make Read to Feed their own and find innovative ways of making a contribution.
Join today and make a difference
Watch the video http://vimeo.com/71341190, visit our website www.heifer.org.za or contact us on 0317771374