SHINING A LIGHT! - nalibali.org · IV. Recruited caring adults will act as Home Library Hosts -...
Transcript of SHINING A LIGHT! - nalibali.org · IV. Recruited caring adults will act as Home Library Hosts -...
2
“Thesimplestwaytomakesurethatweraiseliteratechildrenistoteachthemtoread,andtoshowthemthatreadingisapleasurableactivity.Andthatmeans,atitssimplest,findingbooksthattheyenjoy,givingthemaccesstothosebooksandlettingthemread.”(NeilGaiman(2016)TheViewfromtheCheapSeats)
3
Contents1. Introduction.....................................................................................................................4
2. Background......................................................................................................................5
2.1 Thechallenge.............................................................................................................5
2.2 InnovatingforChange:TheStoryPoweredHomePackage......................................5
3. LearningfromAction:ADeepDiveintotheNorth-WestProvince..................................7
3.1 FramingtheDataCollectionandAnalysis.................................................................7
3.2 StoryCollecting:TheApproach.................................................................................8
3.2.1 TheJourney........................................................................................................9
3.2.2 ToolsandProcesses..........................................................................................10
3.2.3 SiteSelectionandActivation............................................................................10
3.3 TheImplementationStory.......................................................................................11
3.3.1 Storiesfromthe‘Field’.....................................................................................11
3.3.2 StoriesfromtheMothership............................................................................20
4. InConclusion:TheKeyRecommendations....................................................................25
APPENDIXA–SelfReportingTool..........................................................................................29
APPENDIXB-HostInterviewSheet.......................................................................................30
4
1. Introduction
“Alldisruptionstartswithintrospection.”(JaySamit(2016)Disruptyourself)
ThisreviewtellsthestoryofNal’ibali’stestingofahomelibrarymodelwiththesupportoftheDG
MurrayTrust.InspiredbythesuccessofareadinginnovationinPratham,India,thecampaignset
outtoexplorethepotentialofaddingasimilarhome-basedapproachtotheircollectionofexisting
interventions,adaptedtotheSouthAfricancontext.Thisreviewshinesalightonthe
implementationofStoryPoweredHomesintheNorth-Westprovince,offeringkeyinsightsintothis
promisinginnovation.
Primarilyfocusedonlearningfrompracticeforpurposesofrefinementandexpansion,thisreview
holdstruetothePrathammethod.Itusesstoriesofsuccessandfailuretoinformcriticalchoice-
making,formulatenewstrategies,andenablechangesindirectionwhennecessary.1Whilethe
reviewdoesencounterimplementationandmanagementchallenges,thedeepdiveintothe
practicesofacohortofhomelibraryhostsintheprovinceshowedinspiringpotential.
ThereviewbringstotheforeasignificantlevelofinterestandcommitmenttoStoryPoweredHomes,showingthatdespitelimitations,theinjectionofreadingresources,capacitybuildingand
humanengagementenjoyedbythehomelibraryhostswasappreciatedinexcessofanything
imaginedandprovedimportantforadultsandchildrenalike.
Furthermore,thereviewpointedtospecificactionsthatcoulddrivesustainedcommitmentand
communityaction,enablingtheconsolidationandexpansionofthemodeltonewsites.These
include;
• clarificationofthemodelatstrategicandimplementationlevel;
• givingattentiontothemodel’sactivationandmanagement;
• givingfocustotheexpectationsandactionsofimplementingpartners;
• improvingdisseminationofthepackagetogetherwithstrengthenedtraining;and
• on-goingsupportanddatacollectiontoensurethetellingofthestorytoperpetuatethe
learningcycle.
1ShushmitaChatterjiDutt,ChristinaKwauk,andJennyPerlmanRobinson.(2016).PRATHAM’SREADINDIAPROGRAM:TAKINGSMALL
STEPSTOWARDLEARNINGATSCALE.TheBrookingsInstitution.Availableat:https://www.brookings.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2016/07/FINAL-Read-India-Case-Study.pdf
5
2. Background
2.1 ThechallengeGlobalevidencetellsusthatreadingforenjoymentisimportantforboththeeducationaland
personaldevelopmentofchildren.Indicationsarethatitcanbeevenmoreinfluentialonintellectual
growththanthesocio-economicstatusoftheirfamily.2
Despitethisknowledgeaboutthepotentialimpactofareadingcultureonourchildren’sacademic
achievementandtheiroveralldevelopment,manystilldonothavethepleasureofbeingreadto
everydaybyacaringadult,nordotheyhaveaccesstoopportunities,resourcesandspacesthat
makereadingforpleasureadailypossibility.Forexample,weknowthat;
• Only15%ofSouthAfricansarewithinreachofapubliclibrary.3
• Morethanhalfofhouseholds(51%)havenoleisurebooks,andonly6%ofhomeshavemore
than40books.4
• Just8%ofprimaryschoolshavealibrary;5manyofwhichcontainunsuitablebooks,orremain
lockedmuchofthetime.
• ReadingmaterialsinAfricanlanguagesarescarce.Between2000and2015,53599children’s
bookswerepublishedinSouthAfrica’s11officiallanguages.Ofthese,41%wereinEnglish,
24%wereinAfrikaans,andonly35%wereintheother9Africanlanguages.6
2.2 InnovatingforChange:TheStoryPoweredHomePackageWithitsintensecommitmenttothegrowthofahealthy,happyandproductivecultureofreadingfor
enjoymentanddevelopmentinSouthAfrica,Nal’ibaliseeksopportunitiestolearnfromother
successfulreadinginnovations.Thisallowsthecampaigntoborrowfromsuccessfulideas,expanding
itsown‘stable’ofactivitieswithpotentialtoincreaseaccesstoreadingopportunitiesandmaterials
inthelanguagesofSouthAfricatherebyexpandingtheoverallcampaignimpact.Inthisreport,we
reflectonwhatthecampaignhaslearntfromtestingtheStoryPoweredHomeinnovation,startingwithdefiningthepackage.
2DGMurrayTrust(2015)Let’sGetSouthAfricaReading:StrategiesinvolvingallofUsavailableatwww.dgmt.co.za3EqualEducation.2011.Wecan’taordnotto:costingtheprovisionoffunctionalschool�librariesinSouthAfricanpublicschools.Availablefrom:http://goo.gl/bmyTmJ4SouthAfricanBookDevelopmentCouncil2007.5EqualEducation.(2011).Wecan’taffordnotto:costingtheprovisionoffunctionalschoollibrariesinSouthAfricanpublicschools.
Availableat:http://goo.gl/bmyTmJ6http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2016/02/18/nalibali-calls-for-more-books-in-local-languages-for-international-mother-language-day/
Opportunity:Readingfor
enjoymentbuilds
thecognitiveand
emotionalabilities
ofchildren
Challenge: Circumstances
arenotconducivetoa
cultureofreadingfor
enjoyment formany
childreninSouthAfrica
Increaseaccesstoreadingmaterialsandsafeplaceswhere
childrencanreadfor
enjoymentandget
readingsupport
ThecultureofreadingforfunandlearninginSouth
Africaisstrengthened
InnovatingforChange:Homebasedlibrariesprovideaccesstoreadingmaterials,safeplaces
toreadandsupportfroma
caringadult
6
DefiningthePackagePurposeThetestingofthishome-basedinnovationexplored;
I. thepotentialofthestorypoweredhomemodelforscale;and
II. thepotentialofaresourceintense(hanginglibrarypackage),lighttouch(lowlevelofface
tofaceinteraction)approachforscale.
ActivationandManagementI. Championingandmanagingthetestingoftheinnovationwouldbe‘held’bytheexisting
campaignteamincollaborationwithselectedpartners.
II. Nal’ibaliwillactivateimplementingpartners,providethekits,trackimplementationand
stimulateongoingengagementwith‘topuprewards’forfeedbackandreporting.
III. Recruitment,rolloutandon-the-groundactivationofStoryPoweredHomeswillbethroughthepartners(ofNal’ibaliand/orDGMT).
IV. RecruitedcaringadultswillactasHomeLibraryHosts - theywilleachreceiveahanging
libraryactivationkitandattendaninformationsharingsession.
V. HomeLibraryHostswillcreatesafeenvironmentsforchildrentodofunreadingactivities
aswellasaccess,read,andborrowbooks.
What’sinthebox?I. Afold-uphanginglibrarywith40books,inlocallanguage[s]andEnglish.II. StoryPoweredHomesguides,activitytoolkitsandtipsheetsgivingpracticalsuggestionson
runningahomelibraryforchildren.
III. Acheckoutkit(paper-based).IV. ANal’ibalibrandedT-shirtandcap.V. Brandingmaterialsincludingwindowdecals,stickersandposterstoidentifytheirhomeas
aStoryPoweredHome.
OngoingSupportFurthersupporttoenhanceandsustaintakeupwouldbeprovidedbyNal’ibali.Thiswouldinclude:
I. SMS and call centre support, and a dedicated “please call me” number (on branded
materials).
II. MotivationalSMS/WhatsAppmessageswithideasandtips.III. Invitationstoparticipate innationalNal’ibalieventsandcampaigns(suchasWorldRead
AloudDayandStoryBosso)andinlocaleventsandtrainings.
IV. ConnectiontoacommunityoffellowFUNdaLeaders,viaFacebookandlaterviaaNal’ibaliapp,whoencourageandsupportoneanothertosparkchildren’spotentialthroughstories.
DocumentingtheStoryNal’ibalianditspartnerswillprovidedirectsupportaspartofalighttouchdataformonitoringand
incentivisationprocessincluding;
I. Atleastthreephonecallsperannumtoallhomelibraryhoststogetasenseofprogress,
offersupportandcapturerelevantfeedback.
II. Undertake,aspartofregularimplementation,sitevisitsandinterviewswithasamplegroup
ofhomelibraryhoststogatherinsightsonsuccesses,challengesandneeds.
III. EstablishcommunicationchannelsuchasWhatsAppforsubmissionofphotographsofbook
checkoutwallcharts,activitiesandevents.Regularsubmissionswouldearnhometop-up
booksandmerchandise(caps,T-shirtsforkids,bracelets/buttons)andaccessopportunities
(includingtrainingandapotentialannualFUNdaLeaderconference).
7
3. LearningfromAction:ADeepDiveintotheNorth-WestProvince
“Effectivesolutionsevolvethroughiterativecyclesoftryingandreflecting.Todothat,wefavourprototypingaswaytotry,evaluate,anddiscardpotentialsolutions,buildingontheideasthatwork.”7
Ongoinglearningisattheheartofinnovationthatworks.Nal’ibalirecognisedfromtheoutsetthat
theintroductionoftheStoryPoweredHomeinnovationwould,bynecessity,beaniterativelearning
process.Implementingtheideaina‘contained’waywheretheimplementationevidencecouldbe
collectedrelativelyeasily,andideastestedwithinasetbeneficiarycommunitywithexisting
partners,wasakeyelementofthisprocess.Uncoveringitspotentialtobefullyintegratedintothe
widercampaignwouldthusbeguidedbycuriosityandopen-mindednessaboutwhatsuccesswould
looklike.
3.1 FramingtheDataCollectionandAnalysis
“Newsocialideasarealsorarelyinherentlynewinthemselves.Moreoftentheycombineideasthathadpreviouslybeenseparate.”8
Thisreviewdrawsontheinternationallyacceptediterativeprocessofdesignforinnovationwhich
involvesacontinuouscyclicalflowofongoinglearningthroughdoingandreflection,regularly
refiningandstrengtheningactionforimprovedimpact.
Designinhumancenteredpracticebeginswithunderstandingtheneedsofcommunitiesand
respondingaccordinglywithappropriatemodelsofinnovationthatareneed-based.Giventhatthe
Nal’ibalihome-basedlibrarymodelwasborrowedfromPrathamtorespondtoasimilarsetofsocial
challenges,thecampaignsteppedstraightintotheMAKEandTRYphasesofthedesignprocess.A
packagewascreatedfordistribution(madeupofthehanginglibraryandsupportmaterials),and
distributionofthiswasdonewiththeaimofminimumface-to-faceinterventionwiththehopethat
itwouldbesufficienttostimulateactionincommunitiesandsoenjoytakeup.Theapproachsought
tobelightondirecthumaninterventionwithcontactbeinglargelythroughthetelephoneandsocial
media.Therefore,theinnovationwasacombinationofthehanginglibrarypackageandthespecificmodeofdelivery.
Whatfollowsinthisreportisanexplorationandanalysisofthisprocesstobetterunderstandwhat
wasachievedintheNorthWestbetween2016and2017throughtheStoryPoweredHomes,whatcouldbelearntfromthis,andwhatthismeansforthefutureoftheinnovation.Datawasgathered
fromthepointatwhichtheideawastestedinthefieldbythehomelibraryhostsintheNorth-West
province(i.e.atthepointofTRY).Managingandimplementingtheideainstitutionallyisalso
reflectedonaspartoftheTRYphase.Ofnecessity,thisalsoincludesgoingbacktounderstandhow
theprocessunfolded,largelytoilluminatehowtheinterpretationofNEEDandtheTHINKINGthat
informsthemakingoftheinnovationimpactsonitsachievementsontheground.
7http://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/2017/3/10/learningbydoing8GeoffMulgan(2006)TheProcessofSocialInnovation.InnovationsSpring.Availableat:mitpress.mit.edu/innovations
8
3.2 StoryCollecting:TheApproach
“Whenpeople'sneedsandvaluesareattheheartofsolutionsintendedtoservethem,they'refarmorelikelytoactuallywork.It’simportantwehearfromthesepeopleearlyandoftenthroughthesocialinnovationprocesstoensurewe'rerecognisingandmeetingtheirneeds”.9
TheactivationanddesignofthisreviewwasbasedondatacollectedbyNal’ibalionthedistribution
andtake-upofthe180hanginglibraries.Ofthiscohort,thirtypeopleintheNorth-Westprovince
whohadparticipatedinthehome-basedinnovationintheprovincewereidentified.Allwere
contactedbyNal’ibaliinadrivetocollectdatatelephonicallyabouttheinnovation.Twelveofthis
numberexpressedinterestinfurthertrainingandsupport.Onreflection,thedatacollectedviathe
telephonicdrivewasvaluableandilluminating,butofferedinsufficientdepthtothetakeupofthe
innovation.Interestedinadeeperperspective,therequestfromthetwelvehostsforfurther
supportcreatedanexcitingopportunitytocollecttheirstoriesdirectly.
Sincethepurposeofthefieldstudywastobetterunderstandthestrategicvaluepotentialofthe
innovationtobroaderNal’ibalicampaignobjectives,thereviewfocusedparticularlyonilluminating
thefollowing:
1. Thetakeupoftheconceptofthehome-basedlibrarybyhosts(howtheyconceptualisetheidea
ofahome-basedlibrary,itsvalue,usesetc.);
2. Thetakeupofthehome-basedlibrarybycommunitiesandchildren(howmuchaccesschildren
have,howmanychildrendrewonthis,whattheirexperienceswereetc.);
3. Theopportunitiescreatedbytheinitiative(deeperconversationaboutwhatworked,what
didn’t,whatfacilitates,whatblocksetc.);
4. Thewayinwhichthehome-basedmodelwasusedinimplementationlevel(ifthemodel
adaptedatallhowandwhyitdid,iftheadaptationswereadvantageousetc.);and
5. Occurrence,andsubsequentlevelsofsuccess,ofNal’ibaliprovidingarangeofsupportto
enablethetakeup(checklistofprovisions,howNal’ibaliprovidedsupport,whatvaluethis
added,whatadditionalsupportshouldbegiventomakethisflyetc.).
9http://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/people-are-the-experts
9
3.2.1 TheJourney
“Startingtheresearchprocessbygoingtovillagesandtalkingindepthwithpeople—withafocusonsimplylisteningandobserving—is,infact,quitepowerfulandleadstoinsightsthatyoumightnototherwisefind.”10
AtriptotheNorthWestwasplannedtomeetthesetwelvehosts,tooffercoachingsupportandto
top-uptheirhanginglibraries.Atthesametime,thevisitwouldbeusedtocollectstoriesof
implementationthroughaseriesofdialogueinterviews,smallfocusgroups,coachingobservations
andsitevisits.Underpinningtheresearchapproachwasthetechniqueof‘appreciativeinquiry’(AI).
AppreciativeInquiryisconsideredcongruentwithhumancentereddesign-itgivesvoiceto
participants,recognisingtheirunderstandingandexperienceascoretothedesignandtakeupof
theinnovation.AIfocussesonwhatworks;assuchitfacilitatesreflectiononthepositivefeatures,
practicesandstrengthsofaninterventionratherthanbeingprimarilyconcernedwithproblemsand
whatdoesn’twork,andthusseemedappropriate.
Giventhegeographyofthearea,thesevisitstookfourdays(seemapbelow,siteshighlightedinred
andorange).Themapalsoprovidesabird’seyeviewoftheareaandthelargespacesbetween
communitiesinthisdry,povertyaffectedarea.
10http://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/people-are-the-experts
10
3.2.2 ToolsandProcessesToolsweredesignedtoallowfortheresearchertolistenandthentoreflectonwhatwasbeing
heardfromtheinterviewees.Theyincludedagenericself-reportingtool(AppendixA)focusedon
readingbehaviourthatNal’ibaliisinterestedinintegratingintoalltrainingeventsinthefuture.It
asksquestionsaboutinterviewees’ownreadingattitudesandpractices,whattheyread,wherethey
getthethingstheyreadaswellashowfrequentlytheyreadtochildrenandtohowmany.
Thesecondinstrument(AppendixB)wasspecifictothesitevisitsandfocusedonthe
implementationoftheStoryPoweredHomesinnovation.Itincludedachecklistonthe‘package’anditsuse,aswellasmoreopen-endeddialogueorientedquestions.Datawascollectedduringthe
observationoftwocoachingsessionswhichincludedbothStoryPoweredHomehostsaswellasotherwhowerekeentolearnmoreaboutNal’ibali,particularlyfromlibraries.
Animportantelementofthedatacollectionwastheteamthatwasengagedintheface-to-face
process.ItincludedtwostaffmembersfromNal’ibali,aninterpreterfromtheprovinceandthelead
researcher.Thisteamtravelledtogetheracrosstheprovinceforfourdays,documenting,coaching
andsharinglearningsfromtheirobservations.Thisspontaneous‘communityofpractice’provideda
hubfortheexchangeofideas,clarificationofNal’ibali’sintentionsandpractices,aswellasindepth
analysisofwhatwasbeingobserved.Theseopen-ended,oftenundocumenteddialogues,enriched
boththecollectionofdataanditsanalysis.
Finally,threeNal’ibalistaffmemberswhowerekeytotheimplementationandmanagementofthe
innovationwereinterviewed:BenRycroft(HeadofCommunicationsandprojectlead),KatieHuston
(HeadofResearchandInnovation,whohelpedconceptualisetheprojectwhilestillatDGMTand
joinedNal’ibalimid-waythroughimplementation),andPortiaDaniso(aNal’ibaliLiteracyMentor
whohadworkedextensivelywiththeNorthWesthomelibraryhoststhroughanothertraining
programmepriortothelaunchofthispilot).Thequestionsaskedofthememergedfromthe
attempttoclarifynumerousquestionsaboutthestartupandimplementationoftheinnovationat
theNal’ibaliandpartnerend.Theintervieweessharedimportantdetailsonhowthe
conceptualisation,decisionmaking,andmanagementofthetestingprocesshadhappenedandhow
thesefactorsinfluencedthesuccessoftheinnovation.
3.2.3 SiteSelectionandActivationNorthWestprovincewasselectedasaprimaryimplementationsitefortheStoryPoweredHomemodelbecauseitwasacleanslate,almost‘untouched’byotherNal’ibaliinitiatives,andunder-
servedduetothelanguagelimitationsofNal’ibali’smainresourcingstrategytodate-itsbilingual
supplement,whichisnotyetavailableinSetswana.Selectionwasguidedbythefollowingcriteria:
• UntouchedbyNal’ibali:siteswhereNal’ibaliwasnotalreadyactiveontheground;• Geography:ruralorsemi-ruralsitesthatwerenoteasytoreachandstoodtobenefit
significantlyifalighttouchcommunitybasedapproachworked;
• Activepartners:thepresenceofanorganisationwiththecapacitytosupportimplementationintheselectedgeographicarea;and
• Highinterest:acohortofpeopleatcommunitylevelinterestedandwillingtoparticipatein
theinitiative.
Theadoptionofanenvironmentwherethecampaignwasnotactivewasseenasimportantto
betterunderstandingitspotential.Communitylevelactivationandimplementationwastobe
throughNal’ibalipartnersasenvisagedintheDGMTconceptnote.GiventhatIlifawastheprimary
DGMTimplementingpartnerworkinginthisprovince,withanalreadyestablishedrelationshipwith
PRAESA,apartnershipbetweenthetwoorganisationswasseenasanidealchannelforestablishing
andtestingtheinnovation.
11
3.3 TheImplementationStory
ThisisthefirstpartoftheTRYnarrative:the‘StoriesfromtheField’focusingonwhatthehostssharedwithus.Theseconversationsandobservationsledusintoadeeperexplorationofhowthe
initiativereachedcommunities,soinessence,thebackendofimplementation.Giventhatthisrole
wasoneofdesign,activation,supportandongoingmanagement(quality),forthepurposesofthis
report,thissectioniscalled‘StoriesfromtheMothership’.StoriesfromtheMothershiparecoveredinthesecondpartofthenarrative.ThesetwopartsoftheStoryPoweredHomesinnovationareintertwinedasillustratedinthediagrambelow.
3.3.1 Storiesfromthe‘Field’Thestoriesfromthefieldwerecollectedinfourways:
1. Observationsfromvisitstotheimplementationsitesandone-on-oneinterviewswithhosts(5);
2. Observationandnotesofthecoachinggroups(2);and
3. One-on-oneinterviewswithhosts,whodidnotreceivesitevisits,atthecoachingsessions(7);
4. Photographsoftheimplementationsiteswerealsotaken.
Whilethestoriestoldinthisreviewarefromasmallnumberofpeopletheyarepowerfuland
inspiring.Theydemonstratethecapacityofpeopletobeinnovative,resourcefulandresilienteven
incircumstancesofgreatdifficulty.Theyarestoriesofhopeandpromise.Theyillustrateanecdotally
anencouragingreturnoninvestmentforarelativelysmalldoseoftargetedresourceswithalight
touchofhuman-centeredsupport.
Ø StartUp
Storiesfromthe'Field'
Storiesfromthe'Mothership'
Keyobservations:• What/whoNal’ibaliisaswellastheStoryPoweredHome(SPH)innovationshouldbeclarified;• Thelibraryisonlyatool;startupandactivationoftheSPHinnovationisalsopartoftheSPH
model;
• Qualityimplementationatcommunitylevelwillbedrivenbythequalitythinkingandinputthat
guidestheprocessfromthestart;and
• Trainingandsupportareanimportantpartofthemodel,arehighlyvaluedandmustbepartof
thedesignandplanforimplementation.
12
Thewayinwhichvariouslibraryhostsgotstartedonandpreparedforimplementingtheinnovation
waspatchy.Therewerereportedlyanumberofwaysinwhich‘introductions’happenedincluding;
connectionswiththeIlifa/PRAESAStoryplayprogrammeandinvitationsfromaninvolvedfriend.
OnepersonsaidshehadcomeacrossNal’ibalionline,whileanothernotedthatshehadcomeacross
Nal’ibaliontheradioandexplainedhowmuchshelovedthestoriesandwouldtorunwiththeradio
tothechildreninherECDcentretogatherthemaroundtolisten.
“IwasinvitedtotrainingbyMrs.Ramorora,shetoldmeaboutNal’ibali.ShetoldthemaboutmeandthatIcouldteachchildren...IwenttotrainingwithNadiaandPortiafourorfivetimes.”
WhatwasalsoapparentistheexposuretoNal’ibaliandthepreparationforthetakeupoftheStoryPoweredHomeswasinconsistent.SomehostsattendedtrainingwithPRAESA;notallattendedall
thesessions.Onehostsaidshewasrecruitedatthetailendofthetrainingandattendedonesession
whichledtoherreceivingthehome-basedkit.Anothersaidsheattendedtwosessionsandwas
calledandtoldshewouldreceiveahanginglibraryasaresult.
Asenseofuncertaintyabouthowtousethelibrarywascommonlyfound.Onehostsaidshewentto
people’shomesandaskedtoreadtotheirchildren.Sensingtheirdiscomfortwiththis,shesaidshe
beganto“feelshame”andstopped.ShethenintegratedthehanginglibraryintoherECDcentrebookcollection,butstillspokeaboutwaysshewastryingtogetagroupunderwayinher
community.
“WhenIgotthehanginglibraryIdidnotknowwhattodowithit...”“Whatwedon’tknowiswhatisNal’ibaliexpectingofus,howdodealwiththecommunitylibrary?Thisisourfirsttrainingwithyousoweareexpectingalotfromyou.”
Inboththecoachinggroups(RustenburgandVryburg),questionswereaskedaboutwhatNal’ibaliis
andhowitworks.Therewerealsomanyquestionsabouthowtousethehanginglibrary,witha
specificnotethattheconceptneededtobeclarified.Ofnoteisthatnoreferencewasmadeinthese
groupsbyparticipantstoStoryPoweredHomesasanidea.
Participantswereexcitedtobepartofthecoachinggroup.Theywerekeentolearnabout
storytellingandhowtomaintainchildren’sinterestinbooks.
“Ihavelearntalottodayaboutreadingclubsandhowtosetthemupatthelibrary,todayIfoundideasforthosechildrenwhoareonfarmswhodon’thaveopportunities,wecanreachouttothosechildren.”
“IlearntwhatisNal’ibali...Ilearntfromothersabouthowtheyaredoingit...Ialsolearnttheuseofthemobilelibraryincentres.”“Iamhappytodaybecauseyouinviteme...IthinkyouwillsendmethebooksandIwillcallthechildren...IhavealreadytoldsomeparentseventhoughIdon’thavethebooksyet....theparentshavesaidtheywillcome....parentslikereadinglikeme,Ilikereadingverymuch.”
13
Ø Reading,Reading:Whatthe12hoststoldusaboutthemselvesasreaders
Ofthe12-peopleinterviewedduringthecoachingsessions,allindicatedthataschildrensomebody,
mostlyagrandmotherormother,toldthemstories.Onlytwosaidtheyhadalsobeenreadto.
“Iusedtoreadatschool–mymothertoldusstoriesthatstarted‘alongtimeago....’Thesestories helpedme learn – sometimes at school they would talk about things and I wouldrememberthemfromthestoriesmymothertold.”
Allclaimedtobecommittedreaders,bothforthemselvesandtochildren.Whenaskedabouttheir
ownreadinghabits:
Ø Allclaimedtoreadregularly-oneonceaweekandtheremaining11everyday;
Ø Oneclaimedtoonlyreadthebible,andanotherthreesaidtheyonlyreadmagazines(Bona,
ForJoyandDrum);
Ø Somereadingmaterialswerebought(especiallythemagazines),otherswereborrowedfrom
friends, while five borrowed from the library, and only one said she downloaded books
online;
Ø Fivesaidtheydon’tbuybooksbecausetheyaretoocostlyandtwosaidthelibrarywastoo
far;
Ø Allindicatedthattheyhadbooksintheirhome,reportinganynumberfromfivetoover100.
Thetablebelowsummarisesthefeedbackfrom12hostsonhowmanybooksareintheirhomes.
Morethan5 Morethan10 Morethan20 Morethan50 Morethan100
1 2 - 7 2
OwnReadingPractices:KeyObservations:• All12hostsvaluestoriesandreading-theyexpressedaloveforbooks;
• Noteveryonereadsbooks,somereadmagazinesandthebible;and
• All12hostshavebooksintheirhomes,justfromdifferentsourcesandindifferentnumbers.
Image1:Site
14
Whenaskedhowoftentheyreadtochildren,allsaidthattheyreadtochildreneveryday,andsome
morethanonceinaday.Atallyofhowmanychildrenarereadtointotalbythese12hostsindicates
thatbetweenthemtheyreadtoatleast872children.
Ø Whatwelearntfromthefivehostswevisitedonsite
ThedistributionofthepackagesfortheStoryPoweredHomeswasdoneviacourier.Thewelcome
letteroutlinedthestart-upprocessofferinghostsaguideonwhattodoandhowtousethecontents
ofthepackage.Twohostsindicatedtheydidnotreceivetheletter.Ofthethreewhodidreceivethe
letter,twosaidtheyfounditextremelyhelpful.However,whatbecameevidentduringthedialogues
withthehostsisthattheymightactuallyhavereceivedtheletterinthepackbutdidnotengagewith
it.Thesamecanbesaidoftheothercontentwhereonehostwhoindicatedshehadnotreceivedthe
StoryPoweredGuideactuallyshowedittotheresearcherbutseemednottoknowwhatiswasfor,
shealsoindicatedreceivingthestickerssayingsheneverknewtheywereforthechildrensoshehad
usedthemherself.
“Ihavesomeofthesmallstickersonthedoorsofmyhouseandmycar,butnottheproperbigbranding...neverreceivedthebigbranding...thesmallstickerscan’tbeseenfromthestreet”.
Allfiveofthehostssaidtheyhadreceivedthecheckoutformsandcardsbutnonehadusedthem,
mostlybecausetheyhadnotallowedthechildrentotakebookshome.Onehostexplainedtousthat
shewasateacherandsheknew‘hownaughtychildrencouldbe’.Herconcernwasiftheytookthebookshometheywoulddamagethemornotreturnthem.
Anothershowedusbagsshehadmade inwhichshesaidshesentbookshomewithchildren.She
claimedthateventhoughmostofthemlivedwithgrandparentsorotherfamilymemberswhocould
872childrenreadtoeveryday
ReadingtoChildren:KeyObservations• Thissmallgroupof12peoplehavearemarkable‘readingfootprint’,makinguseofnumerous
day-to-dayspacesandopportunitiestoreadtochildren–asmallamountofinspirationgoes
alongway.
ThePackage:Keyobservations
• IncreaseclarityabouttheconceptanduseoftheStoryPoweredHomespackage;• Strengthencommunicationchannelstoincreasetakeupandimpact(clarifyassumptions,for
example do not assume sending written instructions is sufficient for communities where
educationhasbeenweak);and
• Improvedistribution–toensureallhostsreceivethefullpackage.
15
notread,itwasevidenttoherthatthechildrenlookedatthesebookswithanadult.Sheindicated
thatthecheckoutformswerenotusefulbecause,inherexperiencerunninganECDcentre,adults
wereunresponsivetoformssenthomewiththeirchildren.
Noneofthehostswevisitedhadreceivedthecapsort-shirts.Whenaskedifthiswasimportantto
them, all said they would have appreciated getting them as being visibly part of the campaign
mattered.Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryoftheseinputsfromthefivehostsvisited.
Acrossalltheconversationswithhostsatsitevisitsandinthecoachingsessionsappreciationwas
expressedforthebooksreceived.Onehost,whenaskedabouthowinterestingthebookswereto
thechildren,said,“oh,toomuch”.
“Iamveryhappy...IsaythankyouNal’ibali...Ihaveatwo-year-oldchildwhoknowshowtoholdabookandtellastorybecausesheseesiteveryday.”“Ireadthebookswith3–5yearolds,thebabiesreadbabybooks,theycan’ttalkbuttheybabble,theypointandshowyouthingsinthebooks.”
Languagediversityshouldbelookedatmorecloselytobetterunderstandtheneedsofcommunities
andaddressthisinthechoicesofferedinthehanginglibraries.Onehostsaidthatthebooksweretoo
oldforhergroupandthatsheneededmoreTswanamaterial.Twosaidtheirpracticewastotranslate
thebooksastheyreadthem.Anotherindicatedthatshedidnotalwaysunderstandthewordsinthe
booksandthatTswanabookswouldbehelpfultoher.
“ItranslatetheEnglishbookstoTswanawhenIreadthem...Iamfinewiththisbecausesomeofthechildrenwhocomegotomulti-racialschools.”
PackageComponent Yes No Valueadd Notatall Alittle
HelpfulMostlyHelpful
ExtremelyHelpful
Welcomeletter 3 2 - - 1 2
Homelibrary(30–40books) 5 - - - 1 4
Checkoutforms 5 - 5 - - -
Checkoutcards 5 - 5 - - -
StoryPowerGuide–Homes 3 2 - - - 3
Activitytoolkit/tipsheet 5 1 - - 4
Decaltoputonwindow - 5 - - - -Storypoweredhomepledge 1 4 - - - 1
Stickerstogiveout 5 2 - 2 1
Cap - 5 - - - -T-shirt - 5 - - - -
TheBooks:KeyObservations• Thebooksweregreatlyappreciatedandenjoyed;
• Thediversityintermsoflanguageandagesshouldbeincreased;
• Giventheagespanforwhichtheyareused,40booksisnotenough.Thoughtshouldbegiven
towaysofexchangingortoppinguponaregularbasistosustaininterest.
16
Allspokeoftheneedformorebooksandagreaterspreadbecauseoftheagerangesofchildren
theyreachintheirvariousways.
“Therearenotenoughbooksforthechildren...theyreadfast...theysay;wehavereadallthebooks,whyshouldwecomeagain?”“Astimegoesonwewillneedmorebooksforolderchildren,wehavebeefedupwithbooksfromtheschoollibrary,weshouldalsohavemorethanonecopyratherthanone-one....”
Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryoftheseinputsfromfivethehostsvisited.
FurtherReflections
StronglyAgree Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree
Let’stalkalittlemoreaboutthebooks.Didyouthinktheywere…Ageappropriate? 2 3 - -
Interestingtothechildren? 4 1 - -
Addresslanguageneedsofthe
children?
- 3 2 -
Youhaveenoughresourcesand
materials
1 0 4 -
ThereseemedtobealackofclarityabouttheStoryPoweredHomeinnovation.Whiletakeupand
useoftheresourcewasenthusiasticandinnovative,whathostsofferedwassomethingofamixed
bagandnotalwaysaStoryPoweredHome.Talkingtohostsrevealeddifferentunderstandingsabouttheidea,aswellasagreatdealofuncertaintyaboutwhatitactuallymeanttohostsuchaninitiative.
ItseemssomeofthismaygobacktotheselectionofhostswhoevidentlycamefromECDcentresin
theprovince.ThisisprobablybecausetheimplementingpartnerwasactiveinthetrainingofECD
practitionersinStoryplayatthetime.
“Itriedtoreadtopeopleinmycommunity–IusedtogototheirhomesandreadwiththechildrenbutIcouldseetheywerenothappy.IstartedtofeelshamesoIstopped.”“Weareexpectingalot,thechallengeistime,Ifinishedworkatfiveandthenhavetogatherchildren,sometimeIfindthem,sometimesIdon’t,IalwaysworkwithwhoeverIfind,sometimes,Itakethebooksformyprogrammesatwork...butthenagain,Ineedastrategyforhowtoseparatethetwobuthavethemserveapurposethatispositiveforthecommunity.”
CommunicationandSupport:KeyObservations
• Face-to-facesupportisgreatlyvaluedandappreciated;
• Thelighttouchimplementationandsupportmethodologyshouldbefurtherexplored;and
• CommunicationbetweenthehostsandNal’ibalimustbestrengthened.Thisincludes
clarifyingchannelsthroughwhichreportingandfeedbackaregivenandreceivedaswellas
thewayinwhichtheprogrammeisactivated.
17
FeedbackonsupportfromNal’ibaliwasmixed.Thosewhowerecalledlikedthewaystaffspoketo
them.However,mostofthe12peopleinterviewedatsomelevelseemedtothinktherewasnot
enoughofitandinsomeinstances,noneatall.Forexample,oneintervieweesaidshehadbeentold
atthetrainingthattheteamwouldbeintouch,butshedidnotreceiveanyfurthercommunication
fromthem.AlsonotedwasthatsomehostshadsubmittedreportsviaaWhatsAppgroupbuthad
notreceivedaresponse.Nal’ibali,ontheotherhand,indicatedthattheyhadnotreceivedany
feedbackfromhostsviaWhatsApp.Somewhere,communicationwentwrong.
“Idon’thearfromNal’ibali...IsendrepotsontheWhatsAppbuttheydon’tanswer.”
“Thesepeople(meaningNal’ibali)arefriendly,theyknowhowtospeakwithpeople”
Thechallengesofcommunicationneedfurtherinvestigationtodeterminewheretheblockageshave
beenandalsotomakechoicesaboutwhatthemosteffectivechannelsmaybeforhardtoreach
communitieswhomaynothaveconsistentinternetorcellphonecoverage.
AnotherchallengethatcommunitiesfaceintheNWispoverty.Itimpactsonwhathostsareableto
offerandtheabilityofchildrentoremainengaged.Onehostwhoproducedamarvelousrecordof
theStoryPoweredHomegroupshehadrun,witheachmeetingcarefullydocumented,toldusthat
hungerbroughtthegrouptoanend.
“We had the children coming twice a week, they would play games and we would readtogether. Then they began to say they were hungry – we have nothing to give them soeventuallytheystoppedcoming.WestoppedrunningthegroupinMay.”
Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryoftheinputsoncommunicationfromfivethehostsvisited.
Evidentinthecoachinggroupsishowmuchtheface-to-facesupportisappreciated.Somepeople
travelledsignificantdistancestobeabletoattendthemeeting.Itwasevidentfromtheirlevelof
engagementintheconversationsandactivitiesthattheyvaluedtheopportunitytolearntogether.
OnehostwhoalsorananECDcentresaidshewaskeenonmoretrainingandfounditsovaluable
thatshewouldtakeherwholestaffshouldtherebeanopportunity.Participantsinthecoaching
meetingssaidmanypositivethingsabouttheexperienceandnotedsomeimportantlearnings.
“Ilearntthatwedon’thavetobeharsh,wehavetosupportourchildren.”“YouhaveaddedmorevaluetometoexpressmyfeelingswhenIamreadingandtellingastory,tohaveeyecontact(laughsshyly)...sonowIfeelfreetotellastoryandtodramatizeit.”
“Ihavelearntalottodayaboutthereadingclubsandhowtosetthemupatthelibrary,todaybroughtsomeideasforthosechildrenonfarmswhodon’thaveopportunities,wecanreachouttothosechildren.”
StronglyAgree Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree
Let’stalkaboutthesupportyoureceivedfromNal’ibaliCommunicationisclearandeasyto
understand?
3 0 1 1
YoufeelsupportedbytheNal’ibali
team
1 1 2 1
18
“IlearntwhatisNal’ibali....Ilearntfromothersabouthowtheyaredoingit...Ialsolearnttheuseofmobilelibrariesincentres.”“Igainedalotofthing…Ihavealotofideasfromyou.Isaythankyou.”“ThissessioninspiredmealottogooutthereanddowhateverIcantohelpthecommunitytostartreadinglikeIdoreading.”
Acrosstheconversationsinthecoachingsessionsaswellasintheone-on-oneinterviews,participants
expressed appreciation for Nal’ibali and its offering. Important is that none did this without
simultaneously being able to acknowledge challenges or concerns about issues such as
communicationorfollowthroughbythepartofthecampaign.
All five of the hosts visited on site felt the home librarywas a good or excellent initiative,worth
sustainingandreplicating.
“Iseeitworkingbecausetheywillbereadingatease,thereisnobodywhowillshoutatthem,theywillbefreeandcanrelatetothebookintheirowntime.”
OverallValueAdd:KeyObservations
• Eventhoughthingsarenotperfectwiththewaythistestbeganandwascarriedout,thevalue
addisappreciatedbyall,thematerialsinspireaction,andthebooksareloved;
• Hostsdemonstrateversatilityandinnovationintheiruseoftheresource,usingitinmultiple
settings–theyare,intheirway,socialentrepreneurs;and
• Thehanginglibraryasaresourceisanenablerofaction.Attentionmustbegiventodefining
theactionthatgoeswithit,asthisistheheartanddriveroftheinnovation.
Image2:Host
19
“It’sdifferentfromschool–atschooltheyreadinfrontoftheotherkidsandsometimestheyarescaredtomakemistakes...withthehomelibrarytheyarefreetomakemistakes...Ithinkitcanwork.”
Take up of the resourcewas interesting.Many used the resource in numerousways, finding it a
versatiletool.Whatthefieldtripmadeclearisthatpeoplefindtheinjectionofmaterialexcitingand
inspiring.Theyareresourcefulandinnovativeenoughtofindwaysofusingthematerialsalthough
theyexpressreservationabouttheirimplementationandarecertainthattheycoulddobetterwith
moresupport.Theyadopteda ‘do ityourself’approach,referredto inthesocialentrepreneurship
sector as ‘Bricolage’,which is French for “Do It Yourself”. Their capacity to “always make do” is
inspiring.Makingdowithwhattheyhad,thesewomencontributedtotheexpansionofthemodel,
illustratingitspromiseinthefield.11
“Becausethebagismobilewetakeittodifferentplaces,includingtheschoolswhereweareworking.Sometimeswegotogether,sometimesalone.Shehasacar,Idon’t.Wehaven’tdonemuchbutwearegettingthere.”“TheNal’ibaliprogrammechangedthewaywearehandlingourpeertopeerreadingsessionsand our interactions with our parents. It gives us some “back-up” regarding the value ofreading.Wealsousethestoriesinourdiary.”
AtRustenburgPrimarySchoolwefoundtheHangingLibrarydisplayedinacorneroftheschool
librarywithanumberofphotosandotherbrandedmaterialsaroundit.Thehostexplainedthatthe
Nal’ibalibooksprovideavaluableresourceformultilingualreadingchoices.Whilenota
conventionaluseofthehanginglibrary,therewasundeniableevidencethatthekeymessagesof
Nal’ibalianditscolourfulresources,storiesandcommitmenttomultilingualismmakeacontribution
eveninthecontextofawell-resourced,highlyfunctioninglearningenvironment.
11KerrynKrigeandGusSilber(2016)TheDisruptors–Socialentrepreneursreinventingbusinessandsociety,GordonInstituteofBusiness,
Pretoria
Scaleof1(Poor)–4(Excellent) Excellent Good Fair PoorIthinkthehomelibraryideais… 2 3 - -
Image3:HangingLibraryinRustenburg
20
3.3.2 StoriesfromtheMothershipInsightsgainedfromthefieldpointedtotheneedto
betterunderstandbiggerinstitutionalissuesandhow
theyinfluencedthesuccessoftheStoryPoweredHomeinnovation.Inthissectionofthereview,thekeyelements-theconceptualisationanddesign,
championingoftheinnovationwithinNal’ibaliandits
implementationandmanagement-arereflectedon
usingsomeleadingthinkingonsocialinnovation.
“Innovationisn’tthetechnology,it’sthebehavior.”12
Thediagrambelowelaboratesthreekeystagesofthedesignofaninnovation.
13Usingthisasa
lens,itseemsthattheprocessfollowedtotaketheStoryPoweredHomestomarketwasasfollows;:
Ø Inspiration(whichinthiscasewasacombinationofneedinSouthAfricaandthefindingofa
modelinIndia);
Ø Ideation(whichwasshortcircuitedbyanexistingmodeldrawninfromIndia);and
Ø Implementation(whichhasbeenthefocusofthisresearch).
12https://www.fastcompany.com/1844177/innovation-isnt-about-new-products-its-about-changing-behavior
13https://sidlaurea.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/hdc-process.jpg
ConceptandDesign:KeyObservations• ArticulateclearlyeachelementoftheStoryPoweredHomeinnovationandhowitshouldbe
implementedandmanagedaspartofthemodel,and• TheHangingLibraryhasdemonstrateditsversatilityacrossarangeofreadingfor
enjoymentactivities,ithassuccessfullycontributedtoexpandingaccesstobooksand
readingforenjoyment.
21
Whattheevidenceuncoveredthroughthispieceofresearchseemstobesuggestingisthatsomeof
theearlierdesignworkmustberevisitedandtightenedup.Thisincludesgivingthoughtto,“whatistheinnovationbeingtestedbyNal’ibali?”
Ø IsitaStoryPoweredHomemodel?
Ø Isitahanginglibrary?
TheevidencetellsusthattheHangingLibraryiswellconstructedandeasilyusedinavarietyofways
-thelibraryhostsdemonstratedthisverywell.ItalsotellsusthattheconceptoftheStoryPoweredHome,althoughattendedtointheprovisionofsomeresourceslikedecals,thewelcomeletterand
soon(thoughnotallelementswereprovidedwiththepackage),didnotcomethroughstrongly
enoughintheintroductionorintheongoingsupport.Whereistheimplementationmodel?Without
carefulthoughttotheinnovationinits‘fullness’theStoryPoweredHomeinnovationisnotscalable.Notpayingattentiontoactivationandongoingsupportleavesthemodelincomplete.
“Thinkofacultureofinnovationastherocketfuelthatdrivesinnovationimplementationforward.”14
Likemanyinnovations,Nal’ibali‘borrowed’theideafortheStoryPoweredHomemodelfroma
similarideaimplementedinIndiawhichwasthoughttohavepotentialfortheSouthAfricansetting.
Thehopewasthatbyadopting,adaptingandaddingittothecampaigncollectionofactivities,
accesstoenjoyable,safereadingopportunitieswouldberapidlyexpandedtoareasmostinneed.
14http://www.innovationcoach.com/2016/10/innovation-process-communication/
ChampioningInnovation:KeyObservations
• Valueiscreatedbythe‘convergent’relationshipbetweenNal’ibaliandinvestorpartner
DGMT;and
• Tomaximizetopotentialofinnovationforscale,giveitachampionandintegrateitintothe
deliberateinstitutionalcultureandactionoftheorganisation.
Image4:HangingLibrary
22
ItstakeupwasstronglymotivatedforbyNal’ibali’skeyinvestmentpartner,theDGMurrayTrust,a
thoughtleaderinthedevelopmentsectorintheSouthAfrica.
Theliteraturenotesthat“innovationblossomswherethesectorsconverge.Attheseintersections,theexchangesofideasandvalues,shiftsinrolesandrelationships,andtheintegrationofprivatecapitalwithpublicandphilanthropicsupportgeneratenewandbetterapproachestocreatingsocialvalue”.15TheinterestandinvestmentofDGMTinNal’ibalicontributedgettingtheStoryPoweredHomesactivatedasacampaigninnovation.Takeupofthiswithintheorganisationalstructureseems
tohavepresentedsomechallengeswhichimpactedontheoverallsuccessofthetest.
Investmentintheinnovationfocusedmoreheavilyontheproductionofthehanginglibrariesand
packagesofsupportmaterials,withinsufficientfocusonthetestingoftheinnovationitself.Atthe
timeofstartup,theteamwasstretchedtocapacity.Noadditionalstaffingwasbroughtinto
championthisinitiativeleavinganalreadyoverstretchedteamtointegratethisintotheiralready
overfullplates.
ThelackofspecificattentiontotheStoryPoweredHomeswasfurthercomplicatedbychangesin
seniorstaffshortlyafteritbegan.InMay2017,ateamleaderforinnovationwithintheorganisation
joinedtheprojectteamaftertheStoryPoweredHomestestinghadbegun,whichbroughtthetestingofthisapproachmoresharplyintofocus.Effortwasputintotrackingtheprogressoftheinnovation,
whichiswherethisstudybegan.
Maximizingthepotentialofanyinnovationisnotlighttouch.Themostimportanttimeforan
innovationisatconceptualisationandstartup.Thismeanschampioningtheidea,nurturingand
shapingitandensuringitgetstheattentionneededtosupporttakeup.Thismayincludestepping
backandwatchingwhatunfolds,butthiscannothappentooearlyintheprocess.Anarticlein
StanfordReview(2008)providetwopointersforNal’ibalitoconsiderwhenintegratinginnovation
intoitsdaytodayoperations;
1. “Successfulinnovationinvolveseverylevelontheorganizationalchart,fromtheindividualswhoidentifynovelideas,tothemiddlemanagerswhochampionthem,totheseniorexecutiveswhoshapetheoverallculture.”
2. “Innovationinorganizationscannotbearandomorunstructuredactivity.Itrequirespeoplewithinnovationmindsetswhoworktogethertoexplore,ideate,craftandimplementgroundbreakingideas.Whenleadersunderstandhowthisprocessworks,theycanspotgapsanddevelopastrategyforfillingthem.”16
Thediagrambelowelaboratesthiscultureofinnovationvisually.Itemphasisesthecollectiveefforts
acrossthelayersofanorganisationwhichmustintegratetoenableimpactfulinnovation.
15JamesA.PhillsJr.,KrissDeiglmeier,&DaleT.Miller(2008)RediscoveringSocialInnovationStanfordSocialInnovationReview
16https://www.ccl.org/blog/5-biggest-keys-leading-innovation/
23
“Partnershipisaprocessnotaproduct.Successfulnavigationthroughtheprocessresultsinnetbenefitsforallparties.”17
Aspartofitslighttouchapproach,Nal’ibalisoughttoactivatetheStoryPoweredHomeinitiativethroughapartnershipwithIlifaandPRAESA.Howthecampaignengagesandworkswithpartners
hasbeenafocusofapreviouspieceofresearch(Thereport,“VoicesfromPartners”,hasrelevance
tothefindingsofthisstudy).
Thepartnershipdidnotworkwell.Theidentificationofhosts,theirtrainingandactivationinthe
fieldseeminadequate.Forexample,anumberofthehostsinterviewedforthereviewprocess
indicatedthattheyhadsubmittedfeedbacktoNal’ibaliviaaWhatsAppgroup,Nal’ibaliontheother
handclaimtohaveneverreceivedfeedbackfromthesehosts.Furtherexplorationrevealedthe
possibleexistenceofthreeWhatsAppgroupsstartedbydifferentpeopleindifferentorganisations
acrossthepartnership.Thisinformationwasneversharedwiththeheadoffice.Furthermore,
processisnotwelldocumentedpointingperhapstopoorlydefinedaccountabilitychannels.
17Corrigan,MaryBeth,etal.TenPrinciplesforSuccessfulPublic/PrivatePartnerships.Washington,D.C.:ULI–theUrbanLandInstitute,
2005.
ImplementationPartners:KeyObservations• Good,functioningpartnershipsarecentraltoachievingscale;
• Givepartnersaclearroadmap,outlinerolesandresponsibilitiesandhowitallfitstogether,
whatdrivesalighttouch,
• Buildcapacityandsharedunderstandingandcommonpurpose,• Clarifyandagreeoncommunicationchannelsandaccountability,and• Recognisethatkeypartnersarethehostsandcommunitiesthemselves,ensuretheyare
includednotjustassubjectsfortakeupbutaspartnersfordesign,activationandscale.
24
Researchforthereviewprocessrevealedsomecrosslinesintermsofcommunicationwithalackof
clarityregardingtraining,keymessagingaswellasdatacollectionandprogrammemanagement.
Evidenceofthisthat:
Ø The12hostsinterviewedforthereviewprocesshadvaryingunderstandingsoftheStoryPoweredHomeinitiative,and
Ø MostindicatedthattheyhadsubmittedfeedbacktoNal’ibaliviaaWhatsAppgroup.Nal’ibali
ontheotherhandclaimtohaveneverreceivedfeedbackfromthesehosts.
Bothissuescouldberelatedtothedefiningofkeymessages,thecommunicationthereofandthe
wayinwhichongoingchannelsofcommunicationwereestablished.Issueslikecellphonecoverage
andaccesstoWi-FiintheNorthWestisinconsistent,andrelyingonlytoheavilyonWhatsAppand
Facebookaswaysforpush-pullcommunicationmightnotbeoptimal.Exploringtheseissuesshould
bepartofthedesignofthemodelandexploredduringthefirsttwophasesofthedesignofan
innovation(NEED,THINK)
Asfarascouldbeascertainedforthisreview,theidentificationofhostsforthestorypowered
homeshappenedthroughPRAESAaswellastheQueenoftheRoyalBafokeng.Individualsidentified
aspotentiallibraryhostswerelargelyactiveintheECDsectorandweretrainedbyPRAESAin
collaborationwithNal’ibali.Asaresult,manyofthehomelibraryinitiativesvisitedduringthe
researchforthisreviewwerelinkedinsomewaytoECDcentres.Theresearcher,alongwiththe
Nal’ibaliteammemberswhoconductedthevisit,wereunabletoestablishaclearpictureofthe
processandrationaleforwhatfollowed,largelybecauseofchangesinthestaffingofthe
implementationteamaswellastheendofthePRAESAintervention.
Someofthemurkinessaboutstartupandimplementationata‘programme’levelpointsbacktothe
wayinwhichthepartnershipwasestablishedandhowcommunicationunfoldedbetweenPRAESA
andNal’ibali.Sincenoresourcingwasspecificallyallocatedforthetesting,theassumptionwasthat
partnerswouldintegrateitintotheactivities.Whilethisclearlyhappenedtosomeextent,lackof
clarityabouttheinitiativeandthepartnershipseemstohavehadaknockontotheeventualtakeup
andimpactatcommunitylevel.
Clarifyingtheimplementationelementsoftheinnovationareimportantforwhatcomesnext.
Definingthelayersofpartnershipintheactivationmodelandsettlingonmechanismsfor
communicationandcollaborationareimportantaspectsofdrivingtheStoryPoweredHometorealiseitspotential.
TheStanfordReview(2000)notesthatforstrategiccollaborationtobeeffective,seventhingsneed
tobeinplace;
1. Clarityofpurpose
2. Congruencyofmission,strategyandvalues
3. Creationofvalue
4. Connectionwithpurposeandpeople
5. Communicationbetweenpartners
6. Continuallearning
7. Commitmenttothepartnership18
Relianceonpartnerstorealisestrategicintention,evenwhereitishopedthisallowsforlighttouch
mustbemanagedwithcare,welldefinedand‘contracted’beforestartup.
18MichaelRReich(2000)Public-privatepartnershipsforpublichealth,NatureMedicine,Volume6,Number6,June2000availableat
http://medicine.nature.com
25
4. InConclusion:TheKeyRecommendations
Atitscore,learningbydoingisapreferenceforaction.Itisapreferencefordoing,makinglearning,andexperimenting,overtalking.Socialinnovationanddesignevolvebestthroughiterativecyclesofdoingandreflecting.19
TheNal’ibalicampaignhassetouttorespondtoacomplexsocialprobleminSouthAfrica.Asan
organisation,itsintentionistobringchange.Itscultureistodothisthroughnovelwayswiththe
potentialtospread.Thisrequiresdifferentwaysofthinkinganddoing.StoryPoweredHomesisan
attempttobringsomethingnewandhasshownitselftohavepromiseasthisreviewhighlights.
ReflectionontheStoryPoweredHomeinnovationtestingintheNorth-Westprovincehasshonea
lightonitspromiseandthepotentialthathasblossomedinthepeopleonthegroundwhohave
received.Bygoingintothefieldandlisteningtothosewhoimplementtheprogramme,insightwas
gainedintohowthisinnovationisperceived,experiencedandinfluencedbythepeoplewhointeract
withandimplementit.Thishasallowedforthedistillationofideasaboutwhatworks,areasfor
reflectionaswellaspointsforrevisionandaction.
“Startsmallwitha‘minimumviableproduct,’gaugecustomers’reactionsregularlyandoften,makeimprovementsefficiently,andeventuallyscaleup...”20
Thestartupandtestingofthisinnovationhasbeensmallandcontained.Again,thisisconsistent
withtheoriesofinnovationdesign,particularlythinkingonleanstartupswheretheemphasisison
takingminimalfinancialrisks,gettingregularfeedbackandredesigningfasttoaddresschallenges.21
Sincetheevidencefromthereviewtellsustheinnovationhaspromise,bothintermsofthe
injectionofresourcesintocommunities,aswellasthewillingnessandexcitementofindividualsto
taketheideaforward.Itiswiththisinmind,thatNal’ibalishouldtakeuptherecommendations
summarisedinthisconclusion.TakingthesimplebutpotentiallypowerfulideaofStoryPowered
Homesbacktothedrawingboard,integratinglearningsfromthefield,includingtheneedsthathave
beenamplifiedfromthecommunitiesengagedinimplementation,andtighteningupthewhole
packageforre-testingisalogicalnextstepthatisentirelyconsistentwiththetheoryofinnovative
designandpractice.
19http://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/2017/3/10/learningbydoing
20https://www.fastcodesign.com/1669738/to-get-to-the-root-of-a-hard-problem-just-ask-why-five-times
21https://www.fastcodesign.com/1669738/to-get-to-the-root-of-a-hard-problem-just-ask-why-five-times
Image5:Childrenbusyreading
26
Thissectionofthereviewoffersahigh-levelsynopsisofalltherecommendationsmadethroughthe
report.Itsummariseskeypointsfortheteamtoconsiderandacton.Theserecommendationsare
focusonnextstepswithlongtermandshort-termimplications.
“Innovationsoftenrequireseveralgoesbeforetheywork.”22
I. Integratethecultureofinnovation:Athreadthroughtheresearchisthatinnovationdesignisalwaysiterative,requiringawillingnesstolearnfromwhatworksaswellastogetridof
whatdoesn’tandtotrythingsagainwheretheyshowpotential.Manyideasfailnotbecause
ofinherent,flawsbutbecauseofthelackofadequatemechanismstopromotethemor
adaptthem.23“Icametosee,inmytimeatIBM,thatcultureisn’tjustoneaspectofthe
game–itisthegame.Intheend,anorganizationisnothingmorethanthecollectivecapacity
ofitspeopletocreatevalue.Vision,strategy,marketing,financialmanagement–any
managementsystem,infact–cansetyouontherightpathandcarryyouforawhile.Butno
enterprise–whetherinbusiness,government,education,healthcare,oranyareaofhuman
endeavor–willsucceedoverthelonghaulifthoseelementsaren’tpartofitsDNA.”24
Nal’ibalinowhasakeystaffmemberemployedtofocusonInnovation.Interest,
responsibilityandtakeupmustbeintegratedacrosstheorganisationaspartofits
orientationandcultureputtinginnovativepracticeatthecoreofitsstrategicintentionand
thebusynessofeverybody.
II. Embracelearning:Ifinnovationisiterativeandaculture,partofthatculturemustbethe
recognitionthatinnovationisnotastraightline,itrequiresfocus,attentionand
championing,italsorequiresanopennesstolearnfromwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t.
Beingcomfortablewith‘failure’isakeymindsetforsocialinnovation.Notadoptingthis
mindsetasinvestors,partnersandimplementerscanbeasignificantbarriertoinnovation.
“Ifwe’renotallowedtofail,we’reoftenforcedtoimplementthingsnotfitforpurpose,that
don’tquitework,andeventuallywindupwastinghundred,thousands,ormillionsof
dollars.”25Understandingthatthelessonsthatyoulearnfromfailureleadstosuccessisthe
keytoanylearningorganization.26
22https://hbr.org/1985/11/implementing-new-technology
23GeoffMulgan(2006)TheProcessofSocialInnovation,Innovationsspring2006mitpress.mit.edu/innovations
24https://www.fastcompany.com/3031092/how-to-create-a-culture-of-innovation-in-the-workplace
25http://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/2016/11/15/mindset-failure
26https://www.wired.com/insights/2013/10/creating-a-culture-of-innovation/
27
III. ClarifytheStoryPoweredHomes‘package’:ideasarenotreallytheissue–most
organisationshavelotsofthose.Therealchallengeoncethebestoneshavebeenchosenis
intheexecution.Innovationisnotjustaboutanewproductorservice;itisalsoabouthowthatproductorserviceisbroughttomarket.
27Startup,activationandexecutionneeda
map,theyarekeytosuccess.Nal’ibalimustpayattentionthecontentofthehanginglibrary
basedontheinputfromthefieldANDtotheactualactivationofthisideaatinstitutional,
partnershipandcommunitylevels.
Whatistheplanforexecution,feedbackandmaintenancearepartofthis.Somesuggestions
thatcamefromthehostsinclude;
a. linkingtheSPHinnovationtothingsthatarealreadypresentinthecommunitiesof
implementation,suchasalibraryorschoolfortopupsandfurthersupport,
b. activatethroughcommunityleadershipandexistinginitiatives(warroomsfor
example),and
c. linkSPHhoststoeachothercreatinghomelibrarynetworksasawayofaddressing
support,feedbackloopsandcommunicationchallenges.
IV. StrengthenCommunicationChannels:AcrossthetestingoftheSPH,communicationisakey
driveroflearning,implementation,feedbackandongoingachievement.Whenitdoesnot
happenwell,theimpactoftheinitiativeiscompromised.Evidencetellsusthatthiswasthe
caseatalllevelsoftakeupandimplementation.Nal’ibalimustdefinecommunication
processesandchannelsthatareconsistentwithitsexecutionprocesses,buildingin
feedbackloopsthatworkforthecommunitiesinvolved.“Location,location,location”are
thethreekeystosuccessinrealestatethentheequivalentininnovationimplementationis
“communication,communication,communication.”Regularandconsistentcommunication
isrequiredforinnovationteamstobeinsync,trusteachother,andcollaborateina
meaningfulway.28
V. Relationshipsmatter:Anoverwhelmingmessagefromthefieldworkforthisresearchis
thatrelationshipsmatter.Acrossthefieldwork,whatwasheardishowmuchthehuman
facematters.Whathostssaidaboutthetrainingandcoachingandhowmuchitmadea
differencemustbeheard.“Bymeasuringwhatreallymatters—outcomesforthepublic—
itquicklybecomesclearthatwhatisimportantindeliveringthemaretherelationships
themselves.It’stimetoacknowledgegreatrelationshipsforwhattheyare—anoutcome
withintrinsicvalue,butmorepivotallyanenablerofthechangewewanttoseeinpeople’s
lives.”29Understandably,Nal’ibaliwantstoensureacost-effectivemodelwhichislight
touch.Howtomarrythiswiththedeepneedinourcommunitiestobeseen,heardand
nurturedmustbeafocusoftheprotypingofthisideaforitsnextroundoftesting.
ConsiderationtothiswillnotonlybenefittheSPHinnovation,ithasrelevancetoallofthe
workofthecampaign.
VI. Keepfollowingpeoplehome:Tremendousinsightaboutthisinnovation,whatworksand
whatcouldmakeitworkweregainedfrombeingwiththeimplementersintheircommunity.
MakingthisakeyfeatureofempathicdesignisimportantforanorganisationlikeNal’ibali,
buildingthisintothecommunicationchannelsthataredesignedasafeatureoftheSPH
modelcanleadtoitsongoingstrengtheningtogetherwithotherNal’ibaliinnovationsinthe
future.Thisapproachisnotunique:thereareorganisationsinvolvedindesignwhereitis
27http://timkastelle.org/blog/2010/04/three-key-ideas-for-leading-innovation/
28http://www.innovationcoach.com/2016/10/innovation-process-communication/
29https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/relationships-matter-people-services
28
builtintoinstitutionalculture,whereeventheCEOfollowspeoplehometoseehowitworks
intherealworld.
Anexampleofthisinactioncanbethequestionaskedduringthefieldvisitofthehosts
aboutchildsafety.(Ariskfactoridentifiedintheconceptualisationofthisinitiativeatthe
outset.)Theyagreeditwasaconcernandwentontomakesuggestionsabouthowthis
couldbemitigated.
“Wehavedrawnupaformforparentsandwewanttoscheduleameetingforparentsbeforewegiveoutforms,it’saconsentformtoallowchildrentojointhesessions...wewanttositdownwithparents,wearetellingthemwemustmeetyourparentspersonallysowecantellthemwhattimeyoucomeandwhenyouleaveetc....whatweareafraidofistheytelltheirparentstheyarecomingtoclubandtheyhavebeensomewhereelse,wewanttomanagethissotheirparentsseeuspositively.”“Whatwetellthemwhentheyarrive,theydon’tcomeinsidetheyard,theyplayinfrontofthehouse,afterWinniearrivesthentheyenterthegarage–wetreatthemjustaswedowhentheyareinschool.”
Image6:HangingLibrary
29
APPENDIXA–SelfReportingTool
SELFREPORTEDBEHAVIOURINDICATORSDate: Event:Location: Interviewer/datacollector:Participantinformation:
1. Didanybodyreadtoyouwhenyouwereachild?Whatimpactdidthishaveonyou?
2. Doyoureadaloudtochildren? Yes NoNever
Everynowandagain
Onceaweek
2–3Timesaweek
Everyday
3. Howmanychildren?
4. Howoldarethey?
5. Wheredoyouconnectwiththem?
6. Doyoueverconnectwithorsupportotherhomelibraryorreadinggroupfacilitators?(how/where?)
7. Doyoureadforpleasure?(whatdoyouread?
Never
Everynowandagain
Onceaweek
2-3timesaweek
Everyday
Comments
8. Wheredoyougetthebooksyouread?
Library
Buythem
Borrowthem
Belongtoabookclub
Other
Comment
9. Howmanybooksinyourhome?None Morethan5 Morethan10 Morethan20 Morethan50
30
APPENDIXB-HostInterviewSheet
HOSTDETAILSDate: Host:Location: Interviewer:Areyouareader?(whatdoyouread?Howoften?)
Howmanychildrenuseyourlibrary?
Howoftendothechildrenhaveaccesstothelibrary?
Howdoyoumanagethelibrary?(wheredoyouhostit,whatactivitiesandsoon?)
Doyoureadtothechildren?Howoften?What?etcCheckIn Yes No Valueadd:1-4 1
Notatall
2Notsomuch
3QuiteHelpful
4Veryhelpful
Welcomeletter Homelibrary(30–40books) Checkoutforms Checkoutcards StoryPowerGuide-Homes Activitytoolkit/tipsheet Decaltoputonwindow Storypoweredhomepledge Stickerstogiveout Cap T-shirt Insights,notes,additionalcomments
Howdidyoubecomeahomelibraryhost?
31
FurtherReflections
Scaleof1(stronglydisagree)–4(stronglyagree)4.
StronglyAgree
3.Agree
2.Disagree
1.Stronglydisagree
Let’stalkalittlemoreaboutthebooks,didyouthinktheywere;Ageappropriate?
Interestingtothechildren?
Addresslanguageneedsofthe
children?
Let’stalkaboutthesupportyoureceivedfromNal’ibaliThecommunicationisclearandeasy
tounderstand?
YoufeelsupportedbytheNal’ibali
team
Youhaveenoughresourcesand
materialstorunyoulibraryeffectively
Anyothercomments:
Scaleof1(Poor)–4(Excellent) 4.Excellent 3.Good 2.Fair 1.PoorOverallIthinkthehome
libraryideais
Because....Whatwouldmakeitmoreeffectiveis....Anylastthoughtsorcomments