About
Us
Vision Statement
To build a South Africa where every child reads with joy in their home language, sees themselves in the stories they read, and grows up proud of their identity, culture, and language. We envision a future where Indigenous languages are celebrated, preserved, and passed on and where no child is held back by learning poverty.
Mission Statement
The Vhalesani Project is committed to nurturing a love for reading among South African children by creating fun, relatable, and culturally rich storybooks in Indigenous languages. We aim to make early literacy accessible, inclusive, and joyful by offering age-appropriate reading materials that reflect children’s lives and languages starting with Tshivenda. Through this, we strive to empower children to read more (“Vhalesani”) and grow into confident, connected, and capable learners.
History of
Vhalesani Project
In South Africa, a significant number of young learners cannot read for meaning by the end of Grade 3, a challenge that contributes directly to long-term learning poverty. To help solve this problem, the Vhalesani Project was founded in October 2024 by Mauda Tshambiluni Louisah, a passionate educator and author who firmly believes that reading with understanding is the key to ending learning poverty.
The journey began when Mauda joined the HP IDEA Program (Innovation, Digital Education, and Access). Through this EdTech-focused initiative, she launched a project aimed at increasing children’s excitement for reading in their home language. What started as a simple but powerful idea turned into a major step forward when she wrote the first 50 Grade 1 Tshivenda Home Language storybooks under Soul of Africa Publisher
Vhalesani has since grown into a vibrant, mission driven initiative supported by five dedicated team members who are currently developing more storybooks for Grades 2 and 3. With ongoing support from the HP EdTech Incubator, the team is working to scale the project nationally and internationally by making all the storybooks available online via the Vhalesani website.
The project is also preparing to expand into other South African languages, making the dream of accessible, mother-tongue reading materials a reality for more children across the country.
By leveraging EdTech tools and platforms, Vhalesani is not only creating culturally relevant books but also using technology to reach more learners, support teachers, and close the literacy gap.
“Vhalesani” is a motivational and encouraging word rooted in the Tshivenda language. It is often used to inspire a habit of consistent reading, especially among young learners. The word combines the act of reading with the idea of doing more encouraging deeper engagement with books and stories.
Problem Statement
Too many young children in South Africa, especially in rural communities grow up without access to storybooks that are fun, easy to understand, and written in the languages they speak at home. Even fewer books feature characters who look like them or reflect the world they live in. This lack of representation and culturally relevant content makes it harder for children to build strong reading skills, expand their vocabulary, and discover the joy of reading from an early age.
The Vhalesani Project is here to change that.
Our website is designed to give children in Grades 1 to 3 an accessible, engaging space where they can explore beautifully crafted stories in South African languages. Each story is thoughtfully written to support early literacy while celebrating the rich diversity of our cultures, communities, and everyday experiences.
By making stories more relatable and reading more enjoyable, we aim to nurture confident readers who see themselves reflected in the pages—and believe their voices and stories matter.
A Team That Brought Vhalesani together!
Qualifications:
Primary Teachers Diploma
Remedial education
B.Ed. Hons in Education Training and Development
B.Ed. Hons Educational Management and Leadership
Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Management
Under-Graduate Diploma in School Leadership and Management
Mauda Tshambiluni Louisah
Qualifications:
Highest Grade passed: 12
Qualifications: Primary Teachers Diploma
B.Ed. Hons in Educational Management and Leadership
