We are excited to highlight the incredible 7-year partnership between the Bitou 10 Foundation and Wordworks, a collaboration that’s been helping strengthen early literacy in our community since 2017.

It all began when Wordworks trained Sooneela Naina as a Ready Steady Read Write (RSRW) Coordinator, equipping her to set up and manage an RSRW tutoring site at Kranshoek and Harkerville schools. Sooneela’s dedication helped launch the RSRW programme in 2018, training and mentoring tutors while supporting early literacy assessments.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the RSRW programme couldn’t continue in schools, but Wordworks quickly adapted by creating the TIME Home Learning Programme, which provided families with resources to help support children’s learning at home. Bitou 10 Foundation embraced this shift in 2021, using the TIME resources in after-school sessions to engage parents and caregivers. 

While it was initially challenging to get parents on board with TIME, Sooneela and her team’s persistence has paid off, with more parents now joining in and seeing the difference they can make in their children’s early learning journey.

We are so grateful for the continued partnership with Wordworks, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration, building on the foundation we've laid together.