The unemployment rate in South Africa is 29% and communities desperately need to get adults into work. Parents need to gain employable skills but over 4 million adults in South Africa cannot read and 70% of pupils aged 11 are illiterate. Schools simply do not have the resources to provide individual reading support to young children. Without the ability to read and no confidence to participate in class, children are likely to drop out of school with few future prospects, locked into a cycle.

We'll match struggling learners with stipended volunteer Literacy Tutors, who will have a year's school placement and read with 12 children each week. The volunteer helps the child progress rapidly until they read at grade level and can keep up with their class. Volunteers will have training workshops and are assisted by a recruitment organisation to find work. Larger numbers of children learning to read in each school will have a much greater impact on local literacy rates.