Cape Town: World Read Aloud Day celebrations filled the hospital halls. The City of Cape Town librarians were accompanied by the Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Councillor Francine Higham, as they participated in the reading campaign with Nal’ibali to reach 3.5 million children across the country with the magic of stories.
World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) was founded by LIT World in 2010 as a celebration of reading aloud, community literacy and the importance of sharing stories. FYI – Nal’ibali are the local drivers of the project in South Africa and every year they set a national target to achieve. This year, in 2025 the goal for all participants includes parents and caregivers, to read to at least three and a half million children across the country.
Library and Information Services (LIS) of the City of Cape Town, is one of the key partners in the initiative and this year WRAD events will be hosted by all the libraries across the city.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Councillor Francine Higham joined the librarians, Nal’ibali and authors in reading to the patients at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Considering this, Mayor Hill-Lewis expressed, what a pleasure it was to spend the morning reading to the young patients of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. He added that they often speak of the massive benefit of reading aloud to young children to help in expanding their language skills and grow their curiosity, but he is convinced that the benefit goes both ways and that reading to children is one of the most rewarding things one can do.
According to Lewis, it is the best way to spend quality time together and bond over the activity that gives them an undeniable head start in life. He urged all parents to spend some time every day reading to their young children and to make use of the incredible libraries of the City of Cape Town to help them feeding the reading passion.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services and Health – Councillor Francine Higham said that reading aloud to the children, beginning from when they are infants, sets them on a path of enjoying books and learning. It is an investment into their growth and education, which only costed them some of their time.
Higham wanted to encourage the parents to sign up their children at the libraries no matter how young they are and make use of the vast range of reading resources.
Also, CEO of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital – Dr. Anita Parbhoo emphasised the importance of reading to children. She said, “As we celebrate World Read Aloud Day this year, I encourage all people to embrace the power of reading to help us shape healthier and more prepared children for the future.”
Dr. Parbhoo added further to her statement that reading aloud to the children enables them to strengthen their language skills, but exposes them to new words and ways of expressing themselves. These moments also nurture a precious bond between the child and the parent.
“This is crucial for their overall development and can set the tone for their academic success when they start school and beyond. I encourage all parents and caregivers to make time to read and bond with their little ones, as every story is a step towards a healthier future,” concluded the CEO Dr, Anita Parbhoo.