The Department of Education estimates that between six and eight million South Africans are illiterate. That's 19% of our population, a frightening statistic for a country fighting to regain its economic foothold.
More frightening, however, are the results of a systemic evaluation commissioned by the Department in 2003, which showed that the national average reading and writing score of Grade Three learners was as low as 39%. As reading is the major tool for enabling all other learning, these children have little hope for coping later on in the system, leading perhaps to the most frightening statistic of all - an estimated 50% of South African learners drop out of the system before completing their schooling.
It's a statistic that those who work at READ Educational Trust fight every day. And a statistic that the team at Ogilvy Johannesburg, who have been working with READ helping to raise the organisation's profile for over 20 years, use as constant inspiration.
For the past four years, Ogilvy has been actively involved in the promotion of the annual READ Readathon, which runs from about June each year and culminates with Readathon Week in early September. The campaign, which has a different theme each year, aims to focus public attention on the need to develop a culture of reading in South Africa. In addition to supporting publicity material, the campaign includes the distribution of motivational packs to 27 000 schools - every school in the country.
"It's all about creating a feel good factor around reading," says READ's Tamara Guhrs. "We want schools and communities and families to get involved in reading, to read together, to inspire our nation's children to read."
Using Nelson Mandela as inspiration, the campaign hinged around the catchphrase "Reading frees your mind" and his aptly written words: "It is my wish that every child has access to books and to the wonderful experience that can be opened up to them through reading."
Last year's campaign used a similar theme, but focused not only on how reading can inspire your imagination, but also on how it can have a marked, positive impact on your future.
Ogilvy's Vanessa Collins explains: "The catchphrase: 'Reading takes you places' was chosen specifically for its double meaning. Yes, reading does take you places, in your head. But it also takes you places in your life."
The team at Ogilvy was responsible for designing posters to be displayed at schools for the duration of the campaign, as well as a handbook for teachers outlining activities to motivate reading over the year. In addition, the agency, together with READ, conceptualised a competition that asked readers to write an essay explaining where their favourite book had taken them. Exclusive Books donated vouchers to the value of R500 as prizes, and Avis helped out by driving the whole family to the shopping expedition.
"It's difficult to judge the success of a campaign of this nature over such a short term," says Guhrs. "Because ours is a long-term goal. In our opinion, when the community gets actively involved, when we're flooded with entries, when these entries demonstrate clearly how reading excites and inspires children all over South Africa, then we're making progress."
