About Us
Empowering Children Through the Power of Reading
Bathande Children’s Reading Club provides a safe, engaging environment for learners to explore learning, their community, and themselves through the power of books. Currently, Bathande Children’s Reading Club serves over 80 young boys and girls, ranging from 4 to 13 years of age on the weekends by providing creative learning activities to help learners develop strong language skills and boost their confidence in their literacy skills. With the hopes to inspire a life-long passion for reading, Bathande Children’s Reading Club looks to bring back the spirit of Ubuntu, which means “I am, because you are”, to the next community of readers.
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Raising her children in the tight-knit community, Kholi began opening her home in 2018 to the neighborhood children and started reading to them. What started as a small reading group has now grown to over 80 children who attend regularly on Saturdays. Working closely with local parents and volunteers, Bathande Children’s Reading Club offers local children the opportunity to foster a passion for reading and strong literary skills.
Where We Are...
Bathande Children's Reading Club currently operates out of Kholi's home in Khayelitsha, one of the largest and fastest-growing townships in South Africa, servicing over 80 local children on a weekly basis. Our past projects also include working to help the children receive library cards to borrow and return books from the local library and partnering with the University of Illinois' Illinois Child Health Global Classrooms Course to provide health education programs to children.
... And Where We're Going
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Become an official NGO/NPO
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Formalize and implement an official business structure, record keeping, and documentation
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Partner with organizations and businesses for book collections, donations and sponsorships
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Plant a garden to teach kids about plant growth and healthy eating
