The Nal’ibali Trust

Nal’ibali – which translates from isiXhosa to “here’s the story” – is a national campaign on a mission to unlock the boundless potential of children across South Africa by sparking a lifelong love for reading and storytelling in their home languages.

At the heart of Nal’ibali’s work is the belief that a child’s home language is the most transparent, natural, and immediate tool they have to make sense of the world around them. To honor this connection, the non-profit actively creates and distributes stories in all 12 of South Africa’s official languages. By meeting children in the languages they speak at home, Nal’ibali ensures that early reading experiences are not just educational, but comforting and easy to master.

Nal’ibali’s vision is centered on children aged 0 to 12, ensuring their earliest encounters with books and narratives are filled with joy and wonder. Story books are not just enjoyable – they expose children to social situations, introducing moral dilemmas, relationships, conflicts and problem solving (Fine, Aram & Ziv, 2011).

In addition, research shows that children in low-income households with uneducated parents will nevertheless gain two more years of schooling if they live in a home with more than 25 books than children in homes with no books at all (Evans, Kelly, Sikora & Treiman, 2010). In addition, books nurture a culture of lifelong learning, which enriches children’s futures.

Through a powerful combination of research, public campaigns, community programmes, and special projects, Nal’ibali works to instill a love of reading into homes, schools, and neighborhoods across the country. Through its Core programme, Nal’ibali works in eight provinces, and its Special Projects reach all nine provinces.