Global software company DVT has announced a long-term partnership with READ to RISE, a South African non-profit focused on fostering a love of reading in under-resourced communities. In year one, DVT will sponsor 204 learners(107 in Cape Town and 107 in Johannesburg) providing age-appropriate books and ongoing literacy support through the NGO’s school programmes.
DVT says the 107-and-107 allocation honours Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 107 this year, and aligns with the firm’s social-impact ethos. The company’s leadership framed the partnership as a sustained commitment rather than a once-off donation.
Why it matters
South Africa continues to face a literacy crisis. PIRLS 2021 found that 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, a deterioration from 2016 and a stark signal of pandemic-related learning losses. Targeted interventions that get engaging books into children’s hands—and embed reading into classroom routines—are among the most evidence-aligned responses.
What READ to RISE does
Founded in 2013 by Athol Williams and Taryn Lock, READ to RISE works primarily in Mitchells Plain (Cape Town) and Soweto (Johannesburg). The organisation’s Programme Director, Roscoe Williams, oversees classroom visits, mini-libraries, puppet shows, book festivals, and library excursions designed to make reading joyful and habitual. Many activities feature Williams’s OAKY storybooks, written for early-grade readers and available in multiple South African languages.
About DVT
Established in 1999, DVT is a Dynamic Technologies group company that delivers custom software, AI and data solutions across Southern Africa and Europe. Its stated values frame the company’s community initiatives and were explicitly referenced in announcing the READ to RISE partnership.
The road ahead
Under the new partnership, DVT-funded learners will receive books and structured follow-ups through READ to RISE’s school-based programmes in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Both organisations have indicated the collaboration is long-term, with an emphasis on continuity so that early book ownership and positive reading experiences translate into lasting gains.
