After low-key events in 2020 and 2021, Rally to Read hopes to host seven rallies around the country in 2023. The literacy programme remains the best hope for many of SA’s rural children.
Early start: In its 22 years of existence, Rally to Read has reached nearly 300,000 children. Picture: Rally to Read
It doesn’t have to be that way. A single, focused sponsorship can provide a proper education and the chance of a real future for hundreds of children. A series of sponsorships spreads the benefits to thousands. All it takes is the desire to make a difference to SA’s children. In a country where the overwhelming majority of young people can’t get a job, what hope is there for those who can’t read or write?
And because school shouldn’t just be about classroom work, sponsorship also provides schools with footballs, netballs, rugby balls and other sports equipment that encourages children to be active. Unfortunately, because of Covid, these weekend off-road trips — some over one day and others over two — were suspended in 2020 and 2021. Schools were still supported but handovers were low-key affairs.