First Words in Print: Developing a culture of readers

Lorato Trok

First Words in Print
First Words in Print (FWIP) is the innovative project of the Centre for the Book. It aims to ensure that all very young South African children have access to the stimulation of picture books and story books in their own languages. It is vital that children's interest in books should be stimulated at an early age.

Research has shown that children who have no access to books before they go to school are severely disadvantaged and have trouble catching up with other children who have. The research also shows that access to reading material in one's home language is a major factor in the development of early literacy.

Aims of the project
FWIP aims to promote a culture of reading among very young children and their caregivers and to contribute towards children's school readiness. The First Words in Print books, which are published in eight South African languages, are intended to form the basis of a common South African children's literature, which is an important aspect of nation-building. All the project's books are written, illustrated and published by South Africans.

In the first phase of the project, from 2001 to 2002, communities in rural and urban areas in four different provinces of the country were identified and partnerships were created with public libraries, crèches, clinics and NGOs in these areas which could reach babies and young children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Working with these partners, FWIP was able to give most of the children concerned their first ever access to books.

Ten thousand children in the four pilot target regions each received a set of four books in their own languages during the first phase.

In the second phase of the project, which began in 2003, a further 12 500 children received books, and the project has been extended to two new provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape. Areas in which the books have been distributed include Ramulotsi in the Free State, Mt Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, Ottery and Grassy Park in the Western Cape and Maphotla in Mpumalanga.

Four new books have been developed, will be translated into seven other languages and will be distributed to children who received the first set of books in the first phase.

During the first phase of the project a baseline study and a formative evaluation study were conducted by independent evaluators. Their findings were that children who received books in all the regions where FWIP was active were still enjoying, sharing and treasuring their books many months after receiving them, and that in many cases these were the only books available in the children's home environments. In the second and subsequent phases of FWIP further research will be done to assess the extent to which access to books affects the children's literacy development in the school context.


First Words in Print is a member of the Centre for the Book and will be involved in the 29th International IBBY Congress being held in Cape Town this month



LitNet: 02 September 2004

boontoe / to the top

© Kopiereg in die ontwerp en inhoud van hierdie webruimte behoort aan LitNet, uitgesluit die kopiereg in bydraes wat berus by die outeurs wat sodanige bydraes verskaf. LitNet streef na die plasing van oorspronklike materiaal en na die oop en onbeperkte uitruil van idees en menings. Die menings van bydraers tot hierdie werftuiste is dus hul eie en weerspieël nie noodwendig die mening van die redaksie en bestuur van LitNet nie. LitNet kan ongelukkig ook nie waarborg dat hierdie diens ononderbroke of foutloos sal wees nie en gebruikers wat steun op inligting wat hier verskaf word, doen dit op hul eie risiko. Media24, M-Web, Ligitprops 3042 BK en die bestuur en redaksie van LitNet aanvaar derhalwe geen aanspreeklikheid vir enige regstreekse of onregstreekse verlies of skade wat uit sodanige bydraes of die verskaffing van hierdie diens spruit nie. LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.