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Operation Upgrade, the oldest nongovernmental literacy organisation in South Africa, battles the problems of poverty, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS through literacy development.  Operation Upgrade’s growing network of trained community facilitators works with the poorest and most marginalized of people in South African society. Operation Upgrade’s mission is to assist social change and development in South Africa through the support and provision of adult literacy and adult basic education and training. We work mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the home of the Zulu people, although we will train literacy educators in other provinces.  In KwaZulu-Natal adult illiteracy is high and HIV and AIDS are prevalent.
 

HIV and AIDS and literacy learning

The educators in training on the HIV and AIDS course make a list of the AIDS topics they want to cover in literacy lessons.  Then in groups they plan lessons on the basis outlined above.  After the course they make their own lesson plans that incorporate some of the HIV/AIDS topics.

EMSENI Community Centre

We have set up a community centre in KwaNibela, called Emseni Community Centre. (“Emseni” means Place of Kindness.) We have built two large rondavels there, one to accommodate our staff and visitors, and one for storage.

The UNESCO Confucius Prize

“The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy was awarded to Operation Upgrade of South Africa, for the “KwaNibela Project”, and continues the Organisation’s 40-year history of commitment and change.