A Grade 2 teacher who put 1,500 books into the hands of learners in Mahikeng
A little while back, Zama mentioned a teacher I had to speak to, someone who had run a book drive that was doing real work in her community. That teacher is Tshegofatso Seitlhamo, a Foundation Phase Educator teaching Grade 2 at Goodwill Primary. I reached out, and I am so glad I did. Here is what I learned.
What she did
Working with ChangeX (a platform that funds community projects across different categories) and Book Dash (the South African non-profit that creates and prints beautiful children’s storybooks), Tshegofatso got around 1,500 storybooks into the hands of learners across four primary schools in Mahikeng.
Each learner got to own a book. Not borrow it. Own it. Take it home and keep it.
Why it matters
When I asked her why she took this on, Tshegofatso said it plainly:
“Our learners and children are always at a disadvantage of not being able to read with understanding.”
The aim of the project, in her own words, was “to introduce and encourage reading from home by allowing each learner to own a book.” She is honest about the reality so many of our families face: “Not every parent is willing or affords to purchase a storybook for their children.”
So she found a way to bring the books to them.
Why owning a book matters
There is a meaningful difference between a child who reads a book and a child who owns one. A borrowed book has a return date. It belongs somewhere else. A book that belongs to a child stays with them. They can come back to it on a quiet afternoon, read it again at bedtime, hand it to a younger sibling, or carry it in a school bag without worrying about losing something that belongs to the school.
For many of the learners in this project, this is the first book in the home that is truly theirs. That changes the relationship between the child and reading. It is no longer something that happens only in a classroom or during a library visit. It becomes something the child can do on their own terms, in their own time, in their own home.
Ownership also signals belonging. When a child has their own book on a shelf, beside a bed, or on a kitchen table, the message is clear. Books are for you. Reading is for you. Stories are for you. That message, repeated quietly through the presence of the book itself, is one of the most lasting things a teacher can give a learner.
What success looks like in the long term
When I asked her about the long-term effects, she did not talk about test scores. She talked about homes:
“A child will always have access to reading at home, and parents also partake in reading to or with the child.”
That, for me, is the part of this story that sticks. A book in a child’s home is an invitation. An invitation to the parent to read along, to the child to come back to it again and again, and to the whole family to make reading something they do together.
Why this is change agent work
A change agent does not wait for the right conditions to arrive. They build them. Tshegofatso saw a gap, a real one, between the readers we want our learners to become and the resources available to their families at home. She did not write about the gap or wait for it to be closed. She found a funder, partnered with a publisher, and moved 1,500 books into the hands of children across four schools.
That is system-level work. It connects players who might never have spoken to each other otherwise. ChangeX as funder. Book Dash as the publisher. Four schools as receivers. Parents and learners are the eventual reading partners at home. It treats the cause, not just the symptom. Limited reading at home is not solved by adding more reading lessons at school. It is solved by getting books into homes.
It is also replicable. Tshegofatso has shown other teachers in this network exactly how the path works. The funding is open. The books exist. The bridge between the two is a teacher willing to apply, plan, and follow through. That is the work of a change agent. Not only doing the thing yourself, but leaving a trail clear enough that others can walk it too.
About Tshegofatso
Tshegofatso Seitlhamo is a Foundation Phase Educator at Goodwill Primary, teaching Grade 2. Her 2025 has already included:
- TeachersCAN Alumna
- National Teaching Awards: 1st Position in the LEO category for Enhanced Teaching and Learning (ICT)
- Women in ICT Finalist, awarded by ITTPSA
To Tshegofatso, thank you. For the books, for the time you gave me, and for the example you are setting for the rest of us.
If her story has sparked something for you, the path she walked is open to anyone willing to try it. We would love to share your story next.
By Michael Sterksen