Our partners African Impact in Livingstone run Adult Literacy Clubs three times a week in the communities surrounding Livingstone. The 12-week course has 4 levels of ability ranging from the lowest group containing students who cannot read or write anything and most do not know the alphabet to the top group with students who are learning about paragraphs and pronouns. This year, 54 students enrolled in the program and African Impact has started a library for them, which they love! The Happy Africa Foundation has been helping to provide the lower groups with a series of books called the Happy Readers books.
Dorothy Malisopo is an exuberant fifty something year old who joined the Adult Literacy Club in September 2014. She has quickly risen through the ranks to join our intermediate group this year. When Dorothy was young her father sadly passed away. Like many children living without parents in Livingstone, Dorothy had to spend her days helping out around the home. With no chance to go to school, Dorothy never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. She now has 8 children of her own and owns a stall at one of the local markets in Livingstone.
At the beginning of her journey with the Adult Literacy Club, she was put into the lowest group to learn the alphabet and how to use the Happy Readers books to progress further. The lower groups rely heavily on the books in their classes to learn how to read and complete the supplement exercises. The books produce amazing results within the classes, with Dorothy being an excellent example of that. She said, “I love the [happy readers] books. [They are] so good. It helps me to read.” Throughout her first course, she has shone as a bright and willing student moving up the levels. Coming back again this January, she passed the initial assessment test with flying colors and comfortably qualified for the intermediate group. She is now learning about tenses, adjectives and book-keeping and has weekly spelling tests. She expressed her gratitude by saying, “Now I’m reading, I’m writing. It’s so good.”
Dorothy brings life to the classroom, always trying her hardest and listening intently. Squeals can be heard when she gets the answer right and she always offers answers when she can, never getting discouraged when they are not correct. In the book-keeping portion of class she is one of the best in the group because she is able to add easily. Our fabulous Benny was her teacher when she was in one of the lower groups and he said, “She is a good student because she has a huge interest in learning. When she started she could do nothing, no reading, no writing. Now she has excelled, it’s very wonderful. She is very happy she has gained this knowledge. She is student on the year!” When she was asked how she feels now she is an educated woman, she first giggled at the thought and then said, “It’s changed my life, I didn’t know reading, but now I can. It helps me so much. I’m so proud of myself. I feel very well now, very fine. “
Our Livingstone team is currently raising money to buy more of the fabulous Happy Reader books that helped Dorothy excel in her learning. We want to buy the next level of books so our budding readers can progress and also more of the first set so we can add the curriculum into more classrooms in more schools. To donate go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/buyabook