Who We Are: Implementing Partners
The Molteno Project
The Molteno Project’s mission is to provide quality literacy and language teaching and learning in Africa. Molteno specialises in using a mother-tongue literacy approach that helps learners acquire literacy skills in early primary school.
The Molteno Project promotes the concept that when learners in Africa are taught in their native language first, they can acquire literacy skills in the first year of primary school, making it easier to transition to reading in English.
Originally, The Molteno Project formed part of Rhodes University in South Africa and got its name from the Molteno Brothers Trust, which provided funds for the initial investigation into language and literacy. In the mid 1970s, the project adapted a British programme called Breakthrough to Literacy and developed it in Xhosa, which was introduced in 30 South African schools. The success of the approach in helping children acquire literacy skills in the first year of school led to requests for development of materials in several languages in South Africa and later for Botswana and other African countries.
For more than thirty years, Molteno has continued to conduct research, teacher training, and materials development for countries such as Namibia, Uganda, Lesotho, Ghana and Malawi.
