Fundza Literacy Trust

“Being open to the nuances and contexts of another’s culture, as expressed through a different language, promotes consensus building and is essential for multicultural societies like our own.” 🇿🇦 This excerpt, from Nadeema Musthan's latest piece for the Sowetan Newspaper, focuses on the fact that multilingualism in South Africa can offer a unique gateway to cultural empathy and understanding: “language and culture are inextricably linked in our country - by engaging with one another in multiple languages, we can expose ourselves to the cultural subtleties that inform the thinking and context of other individuals,” concludes Musthan, Executive Director at Fundza 📚 For those who may be unaware, young readers play a particularly important role in preserving multilingualism in South Africa. That is why platforms that provide young readers and writers with the opportunity to engage with content in their own language are so vital to our communities today 📖 These platforms serve a critical purpose because they motivate the use of multilingualism in more powerful domains, such as education and our broader economy  🚀 For more insights from Nadeema Musthan, click the link below ⬇️ #Multilingualism #Innovation #Empowerment #Upliftment #Cultutre #SouthAfrica #Languages #Technology #Mobisite #Education 

The Fundza Literacy Trust recently celebrated World Literacy Day with the announcement of its commitment to supporting the efforts of the Literacy Promotion Collective, in partnership with The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) 🏫 The collective was recently established through the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between all partners, and the DBE individually. The MoU serves as a platform through which the DBE will engage with Fundza to promote the use of its fee-free mobisite in government schools, with the aim of making reading and writing resources more accessible among members of our youth 📖 “The Literacy Promotion Collective marks a significant step in recognising the critical nature of collaboration and solidarity that will be required to advance literacy, reading, writing, and learning among South African youth today,” comments Nadeema Musthan, Executive Director at Fundza. ‘’This marks a significant milestone in our commitment to enhancing literacy by embracing and integrating the diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes of our continent”, says Basic Education Minister Ms Siviwe Gwarube. “The Literacy Promotion Collective aims to create an enriching educational environment where multilingualism is celebrated, and literacy development is deeply rooted in African cultural contexts.’’ Non-profit organisations including The Nal'ibali Trust, Room to Read, Better Africa and SAPESI SA will join Fundza as members of the Collective in a joint approach to improving literacy, language, and multilingualism in our country, with the full support of our national government and relevant departments 📚 For more information, click the link below ⬇ #Literacy #WorldLiteracyDay #SouthAfrica #Multilingualism #Read #Write #Storytelling #Education #Diversity #Collaboration #Solidarity

The Fundza Literacy Trust actively celebrates Women's Month in South Africa with its annual digital survey results, showcasing the role of digital platforms in advancing literacy and educational equity among women in our country 📖 With over 4.1 million site visitors in 2023, Fundza’s zero-rated mobisite has become South Africa’s most popular fee-free digital reading and writing platform for young South Africans 💯 The mobisite aims to increase access to user-generated reading materials with the vision to amplify the voices of citizens and youth who identify as women or girls in our country 🇿🇦 The annual survey offers a unique view into the challenges and obstacles facing young women and reveals several economic realities faced by our readers and writers ✍🏾 For a broad view of our findings, click on the IOL News link, available below ⬇️ #Reading #Writing #Literacy #Technology #Innovation #WomensMonth #SouthAfrica #Data #Survey #Education

It’s been a privelage to write for the beautiful Fundza Literacy Trust organization! Read my latest piece: https://lnkd.in/dTafw3dh

Over the past two months, I have been a regular contributor to the Fundza Literacy Trust. I've been enthused by the vibrancy and the vastness of Fundza's young readership. The enthusiasm of young people to engage in debate and political imagination has been inspiring. Fundza also offers an impressive collection of fiction, making it an indispensable resource for young readers and writers. I highly recommend the platform to anyone interested in literature. My first piece, titled 'Stop Telling Us to Vote,' was posted before the elections. Since then, I have written on various topics, including the history of liberation movements and the cycle of gangsterism in Cape Town. I plan to continue posting more as I write. https://lnkd.in/dKT4GnRT

Fundza’s fee-free mobisite, commonly referred to as the “library in your pocket” by the majority of South African youth who use it, is home to several stories on the topic of relationships, mental health, and love 📖 These stories may entertain and help some pass idle hours, but their role is more important – they’re valuable sources for understanding, which speak to the lived experiences that represent the realities of so many in our country today 🇿🇦 Our Head of Content, Chase Rhys , offers their insight and analysis into a number of themes on the reading and writing platform. Their deep dive offers a window into the circumstances that affect the lives of our youth today. Click the link from the Tech DailyPost below for access to the full article ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/dJaq8h6s #Innovation #Literacy #Technology #SouthAfrica #Reading #Youth #Tech #Love #Storytelling #MentalHealth

We all tell stories and rely on them to make sense of ourselves and the world around us. Stories help us interpret the events and people that cross our path, and their popularity has never waned throughout the ages 📖 Reading is traditionally seen as the gateway to storytelling, but we should not neglect the power of oral storytelling too. The spoken word remains the primary form of communication for most people today, a fact that we take into serious consideration at Fundza. This stems from a deeply rooted passion to make storytelling and online narrations accessible to everyone, in every language - especially in their mother tongue🎙️ Our head of content, Chase Rhys , emphasizes the value of multilingual auditory content in the Financial Mail this month. You can click the link (below) for their thoughts on this important topic. #Multilingualism #Narration #Audiobooks #Fundza #Literacy #Trust #Reading #Writing #Accessibility #Innovation #Technology #Storytelling

As seen on News24 South Africa : Audio storytelling offers a catalyst for boosting literacy in South Africa 📖 “Audiobooks, at their most simple, are the audio narration of the written word” shares Chase Rhys , Head of Content at Fundza. “Whether done for works of fiction or nonfiction, the narration of texts remains a popular medium for disseminating information and stories to people beyond your own social circle. Be it for educational purposes or as entertainment (or both), the outcomes are the same – a widening and deepening of one’s relationship with the world.” In this piece for News24 this week, Rhys also emphasizes the value of multilingualism – to make oral storytelling more accessible to all mother tongues in South Africa. Click the link below for the full piece and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. #reading #writing #audiobooks #storytelling #innovation #technology #SouthAfrica #Literacy

We are delighted to announce that our fellowship program is currently underway for the third year in a row, and continues to empower aspiring young writers with the skills they need to share their stories 📖 The program offers mentorship in four different disciplines: digital storytelling, fictional writing, blogging, and journalism, as well as audiobooks and podcasting 🚀 Our new Head of Content, Chase Rhys has encouraged all fellows to use each segment of their training to process the different aspects of their lives in South Africa 🇿🇦 The course aims to be made as accessible as possible, and anyone wishing to join next year’s cohort of fellows can send a sample of their writing to Fundza at writers@fundza.co.za 📨 You can read more about our fellowship program and the exceptional training it provides by clicking on the FutureSA link below or by visiting the Bizcommunity.com site directly 🚀 #SouthAfrica #fellowship #storytelling #audiobooks #writers #literacy #books #reading #innovation #technology #digital #journalism

“Reading, and reading for meaning, offers a foundation from which we can engage with the world on a meaningful level,” writes Lea-Anne Moses, Executive Director of the Fundza Literacy Trust. Today, we celebrate our national elections by highlighting the fact that we, as a nation, require the skills to critically understand text, to prevent any comprehension from remaining superficial. You can read more about reading for meaning in Lea-Anne’s latest piece for Tech in Africa also available in The Sowetan newspaper this morning for all to enjoy. #reading #literacy #SouthAfrica #national #elections #freedom #vote #read #thought #leadership