Reading Project Inspires Africa's Poorest
South Africa's townships are mostly urban residential areas that are severely underdeveloped. The residents suffer from crippling poverty and persistent crime and many are malnourished, illiterate and jobless.
This grim reality prompted IRFF-UK to step up in 2021 and support SHINE, an educational project already underway, in the dirt-poor township of Walmer in Port Elizabeth.
The SHINE Literacy Centre operates within the grounds of the Walmer Lower Primary School, located in a semi-rural community near Port Elizabeth International Airport.
It operates from two bright yellow 20-foot converted shipping containers within a fenced-off area and teaches basic English literacy to pupils from the primary school.
The Situation
In a recent IRFF UK catch-up on the project, SHINE manager and headteacher Pat Hippert passionately explained the circumstances.
Headteacher Pat Hippert with a pupil at SHINE learning centre.
“The needs here are enormous. The children are growing up in an incredible level of squalor.”
Pat Hippert
South African public schools are overcrowded, lack facilities and have a shortage of trained teachers. Classes are rowdy with 50 pupils to a teacher.
Despite English being the language of commerce and business (and gateway language to the rest of the world), Xhosa, Zulu and Afrikaans are the most widely spoken languages. Thus, a major weakness of the national education curriculum is that English is under-taught.
Children aged between 6-9 (grades 1-3) have English lessons lasting only between 15 minutes to a maximum of 1 hour per day. However, from grade 4 (age 9 and up) all subjects are taught entirely in English! In addition, national education state policy dictates that no child up to grade 3 can be failed. As a result, children start grade 4 thinking they are smart, only to fail terribly in their end-of-year exams.
"It’s a nightmare and defeats the whole joy of learning. This is a huge stumbling block.”
Pat Hibbert
SHINE's Role
SHINE’s programme teaches grade 3 pupils to read English for meaning, so rather than just pronouncing the words they can understand them too. Additionally, the programme aligns with the state school curriculum and operates during school hours.
Teaching is usually delivered on a ratio of one teacher to two pupils.
“We do the themes they do, and then we blend our SHINE curriculum into it. So it's about reinforcing all the time. We build the curriculum together with the state school."
Pat Hibbert
Teaching is usually given on a ratio of two pupils to one teacher.
"The children get involved. They are very responsive, and for the first time they feel acknowledged. With the language, the spoken word, comes the building of self-confidence. That makes all the difference.”
Pat Hibbert
The ability to speak and understand the English language opens up the children's world. Even the state schoolteachers visit the facility to ask for guidance material and library books.
Pat works with a team of 32 native English-speaking volunteers, many of whom are former teachers and librarians. They all love teaching and have a vision to open up the children's minds.
SHINE pupils learning through play with a native English-speaking volunteer.
Barriers for the Children
"We cannot understand the trauma that many of these children live with. What they have to cope with at home. For many, school is safer than home."
Pat Hibbert
Many pupils see or suffer violence in their households, so the staff are watchful in case a child needs to be calmly reassured that school is a safe place.
“The children are hungry when they come to school. Many have a little sugar water for breakfast and for dinner, and they rely on school lunch. You can't teach a hungry stomach, you just cannot.”
Pat Hibbert
Pat and her crew have water, fruit, instant soup, tea and biscuits at the ready for the children.
Failing at school ruins the children’s confidence and they feel lost.
“It's so easy to get involved in street gangs. Some become vagabonds and go on to steal and loot. So, we're empowering them with a sense of achievement, of purpose, of well-being. The least amount of effort and energy we put in is so enormously appreciated by the children.
Pat Hibbert
Smart pupils in a photo grab with the teacher at SHINE.
We know we can do more
SHINE is making a huge difference. With your support, we can help the school embrace even more children with the joy of education, help them feel safe in learning, and keep them off the streets.
If you are able, please click the donation button below and help more children SHINE.
IRFF UK currently sends around £300 per month to the SHINE project to help cover the costs of books and school supplies, food and clothing. Yet we want to do more and we know we can.
Whether your donation is larger or smaller, every child counts.
With thanks,
The IRFF-UK team
Click here to visit our website to see our other projects.
International Relief Friendship Foundation
Account number: 96497645
Sort Code: 60-05-29
