Gogos in Johannesburg now have their own Gogo Reading Club and Gogo Library as part of an incredible initiative that aims to see them become literacy champions in their households and encourage a love of reading in the generation many of them are raising:
Alexandra, South Africa (14 November 2024) — A new and exciting initiative is promoting intergenerational literacy, a love of reading and connection, and gogos are at the heart of it! The Masifunde GOGO Reading Club has launched in Johannesburg’s Alexandra, where it shines the reading lamp on grandmothers by encouraging them to become literacy champions in their households.
The GOGO Reading Club is the brainchild of non-profit organisation goGOGOgo who are empowering grandmothers to become change agents in their communities and Literacy4Life—an organisation that is committed to promoting literacy in underprivileged communities.
Where goGOGOgo focuses on the unsung heroes of our communities (female third-generation caregivers, AKA gogos) by helping them build skills, gain knowledge and empower themselves, Literacy4Life hopes to create a culture of sustainable literacy by opening the door to reading and educational opportunities.
“This is a programme to encourage reading out loud between gogos and grandchildren to build literacy and promote intergenerational relationships,” explains goGOGOgo Programme Manager, Lily Cameron.
“With over 4 million children in SA being raised by grandmothers, gogos have a very important role to play in learning. South Africa is also experiencing devastatingly low literacy rates as evidenced in the PRILS where 82% of South African Grade 4 learners can’t read for meaning,”
GoGOGOGo Founder Jane Simmonds shares:
“This initiative not only helps children develop crucial reading skills but also creates meaningful connections between generations.”
The Masifunde GOGO Reading Club hopes to be a force of change by providing gogos with literacy material (a new Gogo Library at the Itlhokpmeleng Home for the Aged and Disabled) and connecting the gogos and the children they care for with others on the same literacy path as them.
In a nutshell, the programme aims to:
- Build literacy skills among children
- Promote intergenerational relationships
- Provide gogos with children’s books and resource
- Teach the importance of reading aloud
You can learn more about goGOGOgo and their incredible work for the women who are the pillars of South Africa, here.
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