September is "Basic Education and Literacy" Month
by Lynette Wilson - Assistant Governor, Timaru Suburban clubs.

According to Literacy Aotearoa, 1 in 4 adults have literacy difficulties in their everyday lives. That's more than 1.25 million adults in N.Z.

How great it is to see a child smile with pride as you shake their hand and present them with their very own key to knowledge.

The four Rotary clubs in South Canterbury have, for the last eight years, been giving Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries to pupils in thirty-nine schools, the length and breadth of South Canterbury, to the excitement of the students and gratitude of teachers, who speak of the value of these dictionaries being a valuable tool and teaching aid.

These specially designed dictionaries, primarily aimed for children of the Year 4 age group, contain more than 1000 colour illustrations accompanying 10,000 entries and 25,000 definitions, with easy to read text, are eagerly anticipated by students receiving their copy as they reach Year 4.

Often the first book some the children have at home and especially the first one that belongs personally to them, their copy remains with them as they move through their school and onto any other school. The dictionaries have helped improve literacy rates, with many parents who suffer reading difficulties themselves, also reporting reading their child’s copy, resulting in improvement in multi-generational literacy.

Inside the dictionary, personalised with their name, is a version of Rotary’s “Four Way Test”. This test asks four questions (slightly reworded for children):

a. Is it the truth?

b. Is it fair to everyone?

c. Is it helpful to everyone?

d. Is it kind and will it build better friendships?

This project, instigated by PDG Lionel Wilson,  is another collaborative goal of Temuka/Geraldine, Timaru North, Timaru and Waimate Rotary clubs to “Serving the South Canterbury Communities”.