Short-term funding cuts to rural schools will have long-term effects on the future of children learning there.
Companies across SA are hacking their social responsibility budgets in response to the economic recession.
When it comes to education, the effects can be devastating. Limited government spending in remote areas has caused children's reading and writing skills to fall many years behind. Unable to cope with textbooks, many children drop out of school early, illiterate and with no hope of a career.
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, Rally To Read has made a huge difference to the lives of nearly 150 000 rural children since 1998. By providing portable libraries packed with classroom reading books, science kits, stationery, teacher training, sporting equipment, and management training for principals, the programme creates a sustainable model that has enabled children in participating primary schools to bridge the literacy gap.
The key word is "sustainable". Each school is supported for at least three years, and its performance is monitored afterwards.
Beyond the formal programme, experience shows the culture of reading and writing extends into communities. There are many stories of Rally children teaching parents and other family members to read.
It's not much but it's all they have
The effects can go even further. In Gamorona, a tiny community in the Kalahari red sands near Kuruman, a seriously disfigured boy named Thulong Matlhola spent the first few years of his life hidden away by his family.
Once Rally To Read arrived at his local school Thulong, now eight, insisted on attending classes. According to teachers, he has become their keenest pupil.
That's the first step. Now Thulong's disability has been seen, he has been identified as a possible candidate by Operation Smile, a charity that performs reconstructive surgery on facially disfigured children. He will be flown to Cape Town later this month for assessment at Tygerberg Hospital. His supporters are still seeking additional sponsorship for the costs of the trip.
Progress like this - and, indeed, the activities of other sustainable programmes - is threatened by corporate budget cuts. These are often easy cuts to make, since those who make the decisions rarely come face to face with those affected.
Rally To Read sponsors who join us on our rally weekends in May and June each year see for themselves the effect of their generosity - and what will happen if it stops. By delivering educational materials in person, they see the children develop from year to year, and understand how that affects communities far from urban centres.
Some of the schools we visit are barely accessible. It's too much effort for certain education departments. Even basic materials like paper, pencils and books are often missing. The same applies to desks, electricity, even sanitation. Rally To Read - organised by the FM, McCarthy motor group and the Read Educational Trust - is sometimes the only effective education source.
It costs R22 000 to become a full Rally To Read sponsor in 2009, though smaller amounts are also welcome. At no extra cost, sponsors and up to three guests (including children) can join us on one of our professionally led convoys delivering goods. Food and accommodation costs are covered by organisers.
The final 2009 rally programme is:
- May 9-10: Western Cape (Laingsberg/ Prince Albert), Mpumalanga 1 (Chrissiesmeer/Swazi border).
- May 16-17: North West (Zeerust/ Madikwe), Mpumalanga 2 (Amsterdam/Ermelo).
- May 22-24: Northern Cape (Kuruman).
- May 23-24: KZN North (Cathedral Peak area).
- May 29-31: Limpopo (Southern Soutpansberg).
- May 30-31: KwaZulu Natal South (Ixopo/Harding).
- June 6-7: Eastern Cape (Hogsback); Free State (Reitz/Bethlehem/Clarens).
For more details, or to become a sponsor, visit the Rally To Read website, www.rallytoread.co.za, e-mail rally@mccarthy.co.za, fax to 086-673-4470, or call rally co-ordinator Iris Francis on (031) 268-9285.
Ranking the Analysts 2009
