As the country confronts a literacy emergency with more than three quarters of Grade 4 learners unable to read for meaning, 450 volunteers, teachers, and community members have gathered to take on one of South Africa’s greatest challenges: teaching children to read and giving them the tools for a better future.
Mellon Educate, founded by Irish philanthropist Niall Mellon, is known for building housing for 250,000 vulnerable families. Its focus is on classrooms across Cape Town’s townships, where the 2025 Building Blitz is underway. The organisation is building dedicated Literacy Hubs designed for one to one tutoring and digital learning, creating the environments children need to learn to read.
Western Cape MEC for Education, David Maynier, who attended the event, said, “We are very proud of this strong partnership with a school, Mellon Educate, and the Department, all mobilising around a common goal to improve literacy.”
The crisis is stark. According to PIRLS 2021, 81 percent of Grade R to Grade 4 learners cannot read or write for meaning, rising to nearly 90 percent in the poorest schools. Literacy underpins every future skill and opportunity. Without it, there can be no learning, employability, or economic mobility.
Mellon Educate’s Literacy Hub programme aims to reach one million children by 2035, establishing 600 hubs and employing 10,000 young literacy tutors. Independent evaluations show literacy scores improving by 40 to 50 percent in one year. “We’ve always believed in South Africa’s potential, but potential needs tools. Reading is that tool,” said Niall Mellon. “You can’t build a country if its children can’t read. For us, this is the next phase of nation-building; Bricks to Books. Every Literacy and Digital Hub we open is a cornerstone for South Africa’s future.”
Mellon added, “By supporting literacy today, companies are investing in the country’s future workforce and building the talent pipeline that will drive tomorrow’s economy.”
The programme is also creating livelihoods. Ninety percent of tutors were previously unemployed, and Mellon Educate has been early to adopt AI technology for monitoring and evaluation, helping teachers embrace digital tools.
The initiative aligns with the Western Cape Education Department and President Ramaphosa’s Basic Education Employment Initiative. At ACJ Phakade Primary School, classrooms once broken are now filled with colour and books. Acting principal Mandisa Lehoke said, “Mellon Educate has built a solid foundation for my school – it will not only give them quality teaching but, most importantly, quality learning.”
This year’s Blitz is powered by volunteers from South Africa, Ireland, the UK, and beyond. “When you walk through a site like this, you feel the heartbeat of what South Africa can be,” Mellon said. “This isn’t charity. It’s shared humanity.”
Since inception, Mellon Educate has reached 36 schools and almost 100,000 children. Its next step is expanding the Literacy Hub model nationwide. “We’re already doing it, one reader at a time,” Mellon concluded. “We need your help,” he urges.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
- 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa cannot read for meaning (PIRLS 2021).
- Mellon Educate’s Literacy Hubs improve literacy by 40–50% in one year.
- 36 schools and almost 100,000 children reached (and counting)
- 90% of tutors were previously unemployed.
- Target: 1 million children, 600 hubs, 10,000 tutors.
- Supported by the Western Cape Education Department & President Ramaphosa’s BEEI.
The post From Bricks to Books: Mellon Educate’s 2025 Building Blitz Tackles South Africa’s Literacy Crisis Head-On appeared first on The Home Of Great South African News.
As the country confronts a literacy emergency with more than three quarters of Grade 4 learners unable to read for meaning, 450 volunteers, teachers, and community members have gathered to take on one of South Africa’s greatest challenges: teaching children to read and giving them the tools for a better future. Mellon Educate, founded by
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