South Africa faces alarming statistics in reading: the majority of public schools lack libraries, and many children finish primary school without Driven by a deep belief in the power of reading to effect change within communities, Mohamed, the founder of the nonprofit Young Leaders Academy in South Africa, successfully implemented the We Love Reading program model to address educational challenges in early literacy.
achieving reading comprehension. Through his deep study of the WLR model, Mohamed found a solution to these challenges.
He implemented the program’s philosophy and methodology, adhering to its core principles, including reading for pleasure, community ownership of the program, reliance on local volunteers, and reading in the child’s mother tongue. After completing the read-aloud training available online in more than ten languages, he began independently applying the model in South Africa, adapting it to the local context while fully preserving the program’s values and objectives.
During a short phase, Mohamed trained 55 reading ambassadors across three regions, who conducted 23 read-aloud sessions, reaching 238 children. Over 1,100 books were distributed. Through his in-depth research, he found that the program’s sustainable impact is achieved by training ambassadors who, in turn, train others, spreading the program on a larger scale this reflects one of the “theories of change” underlying the WLR philosophy.
He was impressed by the model’s focus on building sustainably literate communities rather than temporary interventions. Mohamed also established partnerships with local organizations, religious institutions, and early childhood centers to ensure that the ambassadors remain an integral part of their communities, enhancing the long-term continuity of the program’s impact.
Mohamed’s objectives align with the WLR vision of creating a ripple effect: one reader inspires dozens of children, who grow to become educated and active members of their communities. With a clear plan to expand the project to include 100 ambassadors and reach 1,000 children, the South Africa experience serves as a living example of WLR’s ability to cross borders while maintaining cultural essence and community-based nature.
This growing initiative underscores the global dimension of WLR’s vision, which Mohamed implemented optimally, based on the firm belief that every child, anywhere in the world, has the right to the joy of reading and a genuine opportunity to fall in love with books.