The FunDza Literacy Trust and mobile social network Mxit have been using mobile phones to foster a culture of reading among South Africa’s youth since 2011.
FunDza has published more than 100 short stories on Mxit – reaching an average of 50 000 monthly readers who view in excess of 1,3-million pages each month.
Ros Haden, content developer for FunDza, believes the program’s success has been FunDza’s ability to make reading accessible, fun and most importantly, relevant to South Africa’s youth.
“For FunDza, literacy is more than just making sense of text,” says Haden. “Our goal is to get readers to engage critically and creatively with the events, ideas and emotions expressed in stories. The ability to
empathise with characters in narratives is a powerful tool for shifting attitudes and ultimately encouraging social change.”
FunDza has created a virtual library of books, including novels and weekly short stories that reflect the lives of its readers and encourage commentary. FunDza provides easy access to well written books.
“We reach out to our readers on their mobile phones. With Mxit, it doesn’t matter where they live or what phone they have, our content is always available,” says Haden.
The stories unflinchingly speak to the issues young South Africans face, from sugar daddies, teen pregnancy, gangs and rape right through to young love, school success and having big dreams for the future.
“Reading helps us see different ways of being in the world,” says Haden. “We can walk in another’s shoes for a while and be the hero or villain or even the victim. Reading for pleasure develops problem-solving abilities.
You think about what you would do if you were the character. This helps readers to reflect on the choices they make in their own lives.”
“It’s important for readers to recognise themselves in a story that mirrors their own lives and challenges as this gives value to their experiences. While often based in High School, these stories aren’t the Sweet Valley
High narratives so successful in the ‘80s with stay-at-home moms and enough food in the fridge.
“While there are the popular ingredients of romance, intrigue and drama, life is often tough, and the characters face very real challenges,” says Haden.
A new seven-chapter short story is uploaded every week. To hook readers in and encourage daily reading, the story is released in serialised format. This week’s short story is The Road Back To Me by Prosperity
Mabinya, a young Zimbabwean writer.
It is based on a true and harrowing story of a young Zimbabwean girl’s journey through South Africa when she puts her life in the hands of a truck driver who promises her a new life in Cape Town.
Mabinya wrote the entire short story on her mobile phone as she travelled to and from work on the train. She is an upcoming young writer and has always loved reading and writing. FunDza is excited to give her a
platform to publish her writing.
Discussion questions at the end of the chapters encourage readers to engage with stories by leaving comments and suggestions on the Mxit app. This high level of engagement continuously excites and motivates the
FunDza team.
“When readers start to respond to the story and characters, we know that we have engaged them completely. We hope that this is the beginning of a life-long love affair with reading, and that is why we are here. We
know that reading is a critical part of being an involved and empowered young South African, and we want to make sure that more of our youth have access to exciting and relevant stories,” says Haden.
8 September 2013 is International Literacy Day. This year the theme is Literacies for the 21st Century.
