Five years ago, Book Village NPC began with a bold and beautiful vision: to use technology to bring volunteer tutors from around the world into overcrowded South African classrooms so that every child might have individual reading tuition at school. What started as a small initiative grounded in hope and collaboration has grown into a vibrant village of young readers, passionate tutors and generous believers who contribute in so many ways.
From the first rather brave young learner to connect with a remote tutor on our app – seeing their face absolutely light up as they realised that there was a caring person speaking to them through their headsets, until today, we have witnessed thousands of children read through the programme. We’ve seen the joy of a child realising that they are learning to read, and the powerful ripple effect of literacy unlocking confidence, curiosity, and possibility.
Our journey has not been without challenges. We constantly battle poor internet connectivity at schools and economic constraints, and we have had to continuously develop to keep abreast of changes in the Education Department’s reading strategy, while being mindful of taking time out of the school day. But we have done so with a commitment to our core values of innovation, community, heart, access and reach.
We are especially proud of the partnerships that have shaped us—schools who welcomed us, parents and communities who trusted us, volunteers who gave so generously of their time, and donors who believed in our mission. Together, we have not only built a reading programme but also created local employment, trained future educators, and developed a scalable model that blends technology with human connection.
As we celebrate this five-year milestone, we do so with immense gratitude and renewed purpose. The need for literacy in South Africa remains as urgent and important as it was 5 years ago, and so does our belief that learning to read is a human right.
~ Written by Sarah Bradfield, Co-founder and CEO of Book Village NPC
