SHININGALIGHT!ExploringNal’ibali’sStoryPoweredHomesinnovation

OCTOBER27,2017SHERRILEMOTTEE

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“Thesimplestwaytomakesurethatweraiseliteratechildrenistoteachthemtoread,andtoshowthemthatreadingisapleasurableactivity.Andthatmeans,atitssimplest,findingbooksthattheyenjoy,givingthemaccesstothosebooksandlettingthemread.”(NeilGaiman(2016)TheViewfromtheCheapSeats)

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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

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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

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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

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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).

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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

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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.

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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