Vulindlela Reading Club

27/09/2026

Fundraiser Event| We say a big Mbulelo – Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising event on the 26th of September. All roads lead to Waterval Country Lodge at the end of November 2026!

The culture is alive!

27/09/2026

25/09/2026

Gate South Africa , 26 September 2026| 10am. Abantwana beVulindlela baphekile! Your support will go a long way.

20/09/2026

| We are getting ready for our Heritage Day fundraising event on September 26th Beautiful Gate South Africa Lower Crossroads. It is going to be fun-filled with dance, song, food, and a second-hand clothes pop-up store. From November 27–29, 2026, we will be at the Waterval Country Lodge for our annual township escape gig. If you want to help make this happen, hit us up.

08/09/2026

For International Literacy Day, we’re celebrating the joy of reading—not just as a skill, but as a way for children to discover, imagine, express themselves and dream BIG. 🫂

Today our reading club explored books, shared their dreams, played, laughed and chose a story to read together.

Because literacy begins with giving children the space to read, imagine and believe that their future is full of possibilities. ❤️📖

Happy International Literacy Day!

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06/09/2026

Reading the inner world| Kuba ke, because our space is a home away from home, expressions of one's thoughts and feelings are encouraged. Sometimes we ask each other to write down words that describe how we are feeling about our week and ourselves. We talk about what we think about stories we read. Circle time is also used for debriefing purposes.

We also embrace meditation, as we acknowledge the importance of stopping, being present, and breathing. This work is making us more self-aware. As a consequence, we collectively create a safe space for ourselves. Personal storytelling is another tool we use to make sense of our experiences and the stories we consume. This is what literacy as a social practice looks like.

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Story Power| As a club, we celebrate and express gratitude to the giver of life and to the gift of life itself when we go through transitions in our lives. Watching and experiencing each other navigate life's complexities encourages us to continue seeking what might be out there for us.

In the last two sessions, we facilitated a conversation with Bhuti Akwazile, who has just returned from the initiation school. He told us that manhood is a journey, sharing how his rite of passage has impacted his worldview positively—in particular, on being a responsible human being who cares and loves. We were also visited by Bhuti Lusindiso, who is taking a gap year to work in the retail space. In 2025, he underwent his rite of passage to manhood. He shared the adventure of living on his own this year, noting that this big step of moving out of his home is teaching him valuable lessons about adulthood. In his reflections, we learnt that discovering oneself is a journey, not an event.

Siyabulela, bhuti Lusindiso and bhuti Akwazile, for sharing parts of your journeys with us. Both young men continue to figure out their futures. Post-Grade 12, they both decided to take a gap year and work while planning to pursue tertiary education in the near future. Indeed, the club is a home away from home. A community of stories is Vulindlela.

11/08/2026

Celebrating women's stories & thinking | On the 9th of August in South Africa, we celebrate women who said kwanele (enough is enough) in the 1956 protest against the Pass Laws. We know that women of later generations face different struggles.

As part of observing 2026 Women’s Day, as a collective, we hosted Dr Rethabile Mashale - Sonibire. Her mission is to ensure that girls from marginalised communities have access to quality and transformative education without having to travel for hours to former Model C schools.

She shared accounts of women whose histories are untold because their names have been forgotten. All the women she represented were resilient, driven, critical thinkers, servants of the people, and hopeful. From these stories, we learned that we should all be students of history to draw inspiration and find ways of navigating the complexities of this world.

As a club, we need to go back to The Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us, written by Dr Xolisa Guzula and Dr Athambile Masola, published by Jacana Media and distributed by Biblionef South Africa. We didn’t know most of the pioneering women activists she mentioned. We wish to access these books again.

Her session ended as we tackled difficult questions we face today. Interestingly, the question of safety, security and unemployment came up strongly.
Rethabile's big question on democratising quality education led her to set up a school for girls in Khayelitsha, Molo Mhlaba, with the support of other women. We celebrate you, ntombi yaseMatatiele.

06/08/2026

Story connections| We are excited to see our dance and movement programme taking shape. The children are "cooking up" something special for our fundraising event in September. These videos show strong connections, strong bodies, and strong minds within our community.

A big shout-out to our patient dance and movement teachers, Amanda and Theo from KTN World.