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South Africa’s reading crisis is often reduced to one alarming statistic: 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning. But inside five small school libraries in Alexandra Township, another story is quietly being written.
From provincial spelling bee finalists to scholarship recipients and study exchange opportunities, learners at schools supported by Breadline Africa are proving what can happen when children simply have access to books, support and spaces that encourage reading.
Recently, Breadline Africa visited five of its supported schools in Alexandra, where modest libraries installed over the years continue to make a meaningful impact despite limited resources.
Small libraries making a big difference
At Skeen Primary School, the library now houses books in all 11 official South African languages, with more than 2 000 learners making use of the facility weekly.
At Emfundisweni Primary, teachers rotate library responsibilities despite the school having no dedicated librarian or library budget. Even so, learners from the school have progressed to provincial rounds of the Spelling Bee competition.
Meanwhile, at Ekukhanyisweni Primary, learners who once spent time reading in the small library have gone on to secure scholarships to prestigious schools including St John’s College and St David’s Marist.
M.C. Weiler Primary recently sent ten learners overseas as part of a study exchange programme.
The libraries themselves are simple. Some shelves show signs of age, several schools still need more isiZulu and Setswana titles, and most libraries rely heavily on teachers already managing demanding workloads.
Yet despite those challenges, all five libraries remain active, used and deeply woven into their school communities.
More than just books
Breadline Africa says the project highlights an important truth about literacy development in South Africa: infrastructure alone is not the solution, but it can become the starting point.
Once the libraries are installed, the success of each space depends on the schools, families and communities themselves.
In Alexandra, that has translated into:
- reading competitions
- weekend book loans
- parent meetings about reading at home
- stronger school reading cultures
- learners developing confidence through literacy
The organisation says family involvement also plays a major role in literacy development, particularly when it comes to home reading habits and encouraging children to engage with books beyond the classroom.
Why this matters
At a time when conversations around education often focus on large-scale policy failures, these libraries offer a reminder that meaningful change can still begin in smaller, community-driven ways.
Sometimes, the starting point is simply a room filled with books and a school willing to use them.
And in communities where resources are often stretched thin, that can be enough to begin changing futures one learner at a time.
For more information about the initiative or to support the organisation’s work, visit
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