In June 2006 Project Literacy launched the "Run Home to Read" (RHTR) family literacy project which seeks in part to remedy the absence of Early Childhood Development (ECD) practices for rural children by involving parents and caregivers in developing their children's early literacy skills so they can make the most of their formal education at school. The impact of this project is profound both because there is a need for educational improvements of any kind particularly for pre-primary school children, but also because there is a strong desire on the part of many adults to give their children a better chance than they had.

Currently, Run Home to Read is operating in the province of Limpopo where we have trained 600 families and in March 2007 will be working with an additional 400 families. In March we piloted a smaller project in Soshanguve targeting 100 families. Many of the caregivers are illiterate or semi-illiterate and cannot afford to send their children to early childhood development sites or crèches. Every week these families are visited by our Run Home to Read staff, the Reading Champions, who work with the caregivers on how to read to their children. The Reading Champions utilize the Run Home to Read starter pack materials which each family is given when they join the programme. A starter pack includes 4 storybooks, a Caregiver Manual, an Activity Book, a Run Home to Read t-shirt, and crayons. The materials in the starter pack guide the caregiver on how to read to and engage their child through a series of 4 storybooks and a variety of stimulation exercises.

Once the families complete the 3 month intervention they have continued access to books through our partnerships with local libraries. The Reading Champions facilitate the borrowing and returning of books on a monthly basis by taking out a block loan of 10-20 books per month. As they have been working with these families and live in the communities they have an established relationship with them and can ensure that the families understand the process for borrowing books as well as receive a library orientation to familiarize them with the library concept. Through this system the Reading Champions serve as the link between the libraries and the families ensuring that the families have access to books on a continual basis and the libraries increase their membership and serve poor families in the remote villages of their municipal area.

The Run Home to Read project has proven to be an effective model positively impacting both the adult caregivers and their preschool age children. As a result of participating in Run Home to Read parents and caregivers realize that they can play a role in their child's development regardless of their literacy level. Their children, who previously had limited or no access to books, are now familiar with books, and enjoy reading and telling stories. We have learnt it's not enough to give a family a book the Reading Champions play a critical role in providing support to the caregiver and child who possess little prior experience with reading. Through Run Home to Read we are fostering a culture of reading in homes where learning to read was perceived as something only done at school.

Run Home to Read project: Thematic areas of impact:

>>	Illiterate caregivers play an important role in their child's early learning,
>>	The significant impact access to libraries makes in a family's literacy development,
>>	The relationship built between parent or caregiver and child through regular shared reading,
>>	The adult's renewed sense of confidence in their own abilities,
>>	The long term positive impact on children's development through continual reading and stimulation from an early age.

One of the poor rural villages where Run Home To Read operates.

"Winnie", of 4 years, tells her mother and Reading Champion the story, "Kitima".
From left to right: Mother, Child (4 years), and Reading Champion