The Link provides cost-effective

In this last of a three-part series on South Africa's child literacy crisis, Anna Cox and Cecilia Russell visited The Link, a non-profit organisation that has recorded almost 30 million volunteer hours since its inception in 2010. By providing focused, individual attention, children’s literacy rates have increased by more than 30%

- Anna Cox and Cecilia Russell

A project that has shown credible results in Johannesburg inner-city schools is The Link, a non-profit organisation operating in 18 centres and going since 2010.

Since then, 8,156 children have passed through its doors, with Grade 3 learners from low-income schools given 300,000 hours of literacy and numeracy assistance.

The programme has recorded 29,300,000 volunteer hours. Currently, some 450 volunteers teach the children, who attend classes twice a week for an hour.

Year on year from 2019 to 2023, the literacy results have been consistent, ranging from a 25% to a 31% increase.

The children come from a variety of single-parent, grandparent and child-led homes, have multiple cultures and languages and are in schools that are typically overcrowded and under-resourced. Most arrive at school not speaking or understanding English, says coordinator Maggie Fussell.