Empowering Rural Literacy Through Stories
About A Village, A Story
A Village, A Story is the Nwala Foundation’s flagship rural literacy initiative. Designed to nurture a love for reading, storytelling, and creativity among children in remote areas, this program delivers powerful, accessible learning opportunities where they are needed most.
With interactive storytelling, donated book collections, and locally-supported reading hubs, A Village, A Story brings books and imagination into the heart of South African villages—because every child deserves a story.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The Challenge We're Addressing
Across rural South Africa, illiteracy remains a barrier to opportunity. Many children grow up without access to books, local libraries, or reading support. Studies show that in some provinces, less than half of the rural population is functionally literate.
A Village, A Story exists to bridge that gap—by making books available, stories exciting, and reading a shared cultural joy.
What we do
Strategies That Work
Storytelling
We use professional storytellers and theatrical performers to engage children aged 4–16 in storytelling sessions filled with music, dance, and local culture. These sessions spark imagination and emotional connection to books.
Book Donations for Rural Communities
We partner with publishers, donors, and nonprofits to distribute fiction, poetry, and reference books to rural libraries and children's homes. These collections become windows to the world.
Mobile & Community Libraries
We help set up reading corners and mini-libraries in villages—sometimes permanent, sometimes rotating—managed by trained local coordinators.
Literacy Impact Monitoring
With tech-enabled reading assessments, we track reading development over time and adapt for greater impact.
Developing Local Talent: In Women's Words Incubator
To ensure our content resonates, we train a pipeline of rural-focused writers and storytellers through our In Women’s Words (IWW) Incubator. Participants gain skills in children’s literature, storytelling in indigenous languages, and digital content creation—all with a focus on community literacy outcomes.
Get Involved
For Communities:
- Request a storytelling visit
- Set up reading corners
- Host literacy workshops
For Aspiring Storytellers:
- Apply to the IWW Incubator
- Learn rural storytelling skills
- Join our community network
For Partners:
- Sponsor book donation drives
- Support mobile library creation
- Help fund rural transport and logistics
Impact at a Glance
Higher literacy rates in participating villages
Thousands of books donated to underserved areas
New economic and creative roles for rural storytellers
Preservation of local stories and languages
Supporting the Mission Through Storytelling:
Warthog Pictures is Nwala Foundation’s creative production arm—specializing in television, film, and educational media that reflect African stories and support Nwala’s literacy initiatives.
Through Warthog Pictures, we transform the stories and characters developed through A Village, A Story and other projects into engaging digital content for young audiences.
This partnership ensures that our educational work doesn’t stop at village borders—it travels further through screens, media channels, and school resources across South Africa.
About Warthog Pictures
🐾 Featured Program: Lazy Park
Set in a wildlife reserve where the animals have grown too relaxed, Lazy Park uses humor, puppetry, and reading-focused storytelling to get children excited about books again. Characters like Thandi the baboon and Phila the mud-loving warthog learn from their human friends about the joy of adventure—and the power of stories.
Educational Themes:
Ages: 3-8
Platforms: TV, live shows, and digital media
A Puppet Show for Young Readers
Warthog Pictures Services
Educational TV and puppet show development
Story adaptation for children's programming
Full-scale media production: filming, editing, and distribution
Curriculum-aligned consulting for educational content
Together, We Create Stories That Change Lives
From reading corners in Limpopo to puppet shows broadcast nationwide, Nwala Foundation and Warthog Pictures are working hand-in-hand to ensure that every child in every village has a chance to imagine, learn, and grow through stories.