A woman from Rooifontein Trust, which is located on the outskirts of Thaba Nchu, has made it her mission to be an agent of change in her rural community.
Nthabiseng Manake (31), a theatre practitioner, poet and actress, champions community development through a literacy programme.
Her passion for young children is the driving force behind her endeavours to enhance the development of literacy.
“I’m passionate about working with children,” said Manake.
She was excited when the provincial Department of Education enlisted her as a Reading Champion at the Khune Primary School.
Her role entails offering support to teachers with existing literacy activities, teaching learners to read with comprehension, acting as a link between school and home, managing reading clubs and initiating community reading sessions.
“I want to promote a culture of literacy in schools and communities,” said Manake.
In 2019 and 2020, she worked with the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture as a drama facilitator at the same school.
“Long after my contract expired, I continued volunteering to run a literacy programme. Because I realised the importance of helping children in my community to excel, I started a reading club to assist learners with their reading ability.”
Her passion to promote literacy later saw the Department of Education enlisting her as an assistant teacher.
Manake’s aim is to address the challenges hampering literacy development in rural schools, such as the lack of parental interest in children’s education, insufficient state funding, a lack of resources, underqualified teachers and multi-grade teaching.
For the benefit of children in her community, Manake goes the extra mile by participating in the Nal’ibali literacy programme.
Because I realised the importance of helping children in my community to excel, I started a reading club to assist learners with their reading ability – Nthabiseng Manake
