Titled FUNda Sonke, isiXhosa for ‘everyone read’, the programme aims to grow and support the campaign’s network of more than 17 000 literacy volunteers, known as FUNda Leaders, nationwide.

Launched in 2016, the FUNda Leader network brings South Africans into the campaign, allowing them to mentor children and encourage them to read and enjoy books and stories.

According to Nal’ibali, while reading regularly brings children many rewards, such as improved school performance, better job prospects and higher levels of self-confidence, the FUNda Sonke loyalty programme brings benefits to the adults who make this possible.

FUNda Sonke members can earn points by completing online training courses and taking part in monthly literacy challenges. Points accumulated through participating in various activities can be redeemed for books, airtime and subscriptions to the Nal’ibali multilingual newsprint supplement.

"With 17 000 active FUNda leaders nationwide, the time seemed right to take this campaign to the next level," says Nal’ibali managing director Jade Jacobsohn. "FUNda Sonke takes all the elements of our successful volunteer programme and rewards South Africans for being the everyday magic that help make our children flourish."

The FUNda Sonke programme was activated in a series of pop-up events from Monday, 8 April to Friday, 12 April in seven provinces. Uzalo (SABC 1) actress and storyteller Mpumy Ndlovu attended the KwaZulu-Natal sign-up events.

"Reading makes me feel empowered and enlightened. I have travelled all over the world in my imagination with beautiful illustrations and wonderful writings in books I read," Ndlovu says.

"My mission in life is to introduce young people to this wonderful world of imagination and the wealth of knowledge that books and reading provide. For this reason, I am excited to be part of the FUNda Sonke initiative to introduce more young people to the world of reading," Ndlovu adds.

For more information, visit www.nalibali.org. You can also follow the Nal'ibali Trust on Facebook or on Twitter.