Our Story
Once upon a time in the townships of Nyanga, Cape Town, there existed a community struggling with poverty, limited resources, and a lack of opportunities. Amidst the challenges, a group of compassionate individuals came together with a shared vision to uplift their community and create a brighter future for its residents. This marked the humble beginnings of an NGO called "Township Roots" in 2012.Township Roots was founded by a dynamic team of local activists, social workers, and entrepreneurs who were raised in Nyanga, Philippi and surrounding townships. They understood the struggles and dreams of their community members intimately and were determined to make a difference. The organization aimed to address the systemic issues plaguing the townships, including education gaps, unemployment, healthcare disparities, and inadequate infrastructure.
South African Reading Crisis
Pandemic disruptions erased a decade of gradual progress in reading skills
The article from the Daily Maverick, dated May 21, 2023, highlights the alarming findings from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). It reveals a significant setback in reading proficiency among South African Grade 4 students. According to the report, 81% of these students are unable to read with comprehension, which is a deterioration from 78% in 2016. This decline has been attributed largely to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study estimates that Grade 4 students have lost nearly an entire year's worth of learning in the five years since 2016. Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that students in Grade 1 and 2 may have experienced a loss exceeding a year's learning. Prior to the pandemic, South Africa was making incremental progress in reading literacy, but the PIRLS results indicate that current literacy levels have regressed to those of 2011, where 82% of Grade 4 students struggled with reading.
