uMhlanga Rotary equips literacy organisation

IT was a proud moment for members of the Rotary Club of Umhlanga (RCU) as they presented a Rotary Foundation Grant to Underberg-based NPO, the Family Literacy Project (FLP) on Tuesday in an evening event at the Gateway Hotel in uMhlanga.

The grant equips a FLP team to travel to the United States of America for training at Eastern Massachusetts Universities and Institutions with experts in the field of Early Childhood Development.

In March a delegation of 3 FLP employees have been invited to visit various institutions including Rhode Island University and The Family Nurturing Centre.

“The Vocational Training Team from South Africa will receive training in the latest Early Childhood Development techniques in the USA for roll out in SA on their return. This training programme and roll out is sponsored through a Rotary Foundation Grant to the value of over R500,000 and will be fully sustainable to the benefit of the community the Family Literacy Project serves. Early Childhood Development forms the most essential aspect in a young person’s learning ability,” said Andre Hattingh, of RCU who was instrumental in organising the grant.

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Pierre Horn, FLP director added: “We are confident that this initiative will build a relationship of reciprocity, whereby the various faculty members from these institutions will visit FLP in KZN in order to observe practice and train employees and volunteers alike.”

Various schools and learning institutions, including adult literacy programmes, are expected to benefit as the FLP team share what they learned abroad

“The team will work closely with the Rotary Club of Umhlanga and the benefits to these young people will enhance their prospects of being absorbed into the mainstream of education,” said Hattingh.

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FLP which was set up in 2000, aims to inspire rural children to cultivate a love for reading and writing.

“Families living in rural areas have very little opportunity to develop and extend their literacy skills. They live in what can be described as print poor environments,” said Horn

“Our programmes include working with adults, teenagers, primary school children and pre-schoolers and running community libraries. We work in 15 villages in the southern Drakensberg in KwaZulu Natal. Sessions are held in community halls, churches, schools, homes and community libraries supported by FLP,” he added.

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