How the Masifunde programme changed Sanelisiwe’s life

Sanelisiwe and volunteer teacher, Siziwe

Sanelisiwe Goba, a learner who was repeating Grade 6 at Ukhanyo Primary School was referred to our Masifunde programme by her English teacher. In cases like that of Sanelisiwe, English is not their first or second language and they find themselves struggling to keep up in class. The Masifunde programme then helps these struggling learners to improve their English level through reading. 

Jane Futter, the programme leader assessed Sanelisiwe’s reading to understand the challenges the learner was experiencing. Jane found that Sanelisiwe was 6 years behind in her reading age. She then referred her to volunteer teacher Siziwe Tyutu who assists Jane at Masifunde. 

To improve Sanelisiwe’s reading, Siziwe taught her the rhythmical action rhymes and she absolutely loved them! She also boosted her confidence and made her comfortable with reading in English by making her do individual reading aloud. Sanelisiwe’s English level improved within weeks!

Saneliswe was able to string together an English sentence on her first test but she scored very low. This did not disappoint Siziwe and Sanelisiwe because it was such a huge improvement that she could now write sentences. When she attempted a second test after 22 lessons, she passed with flying colours! That boosted Sanelisiwe’s confidence even more and made all her teachers proud. 

In less than 6 months, Masifunde was able to help Saneliswe improve her English literacy by four years! Jane believes this to be a miracle which she rarely witnesses. Sanelisiwe is now in Grade 7 and is able to fully participate in her English classes with confidence and she passes with flying colours. 

We would like to say thank our friends and supporters who generously contribute to this programme. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to make a difference in the lives of learners like Sanelisiwe. If you would like to find out how you can contribute to this programme, contact us at contact@masicorp.org, we look forward to hearing from you.