Bongani Godide
Bongani Godide is the Cluster Mentor for the Nal’ibali campaign in Gauteng. His success as the Gauteng Nal’ibali Cluster Mentor involves local people, teachers and caregivers to be part of his community projects, which will increase sustainability and accountability. Bongani has experience as an actor and professional storyteller, as well as a passion for developing literacy. In 2004, he won at the Sibikwa Storytelling Festival. He is full of exciting and innovative ideas for sparking a love of stories in small communities, such as the “Read a Story to a School Near You” project, which invites ordinary people who can read and write to visit a local school or library and read.
Portia Daniso
Portia Daniso is the National Support Trainer. She studied media and journalism at Achievers Business College and, in 2010, went back to college to study E.C.D level 5 higher certificate at College of Cape Town. Wanting to know more about early childhood development, in 2011, she then enrolled at UNISA for her B. Ed. Degree in Foundation phase. Her interest in developmental psychology and literacy has seen her work for mainstream as well as Montessori education.
ADEIFE ADENIRAN
ADEIFE ADENIRAN was born in Ogbomosho in Oyo State of Nigeria, to the family Navy Captain David and Engineer Jenevive Ngozi Adeniran on 4th of July 2000. Her dogged spirit and can-do attitude manifested early in her infancy and it was no surprise when she came up with a diary containing a collection of her thoughts based on her interactions with friends and school mates, with some ideas coming from TV programmes she has watched. Those thoughts and ideas from the plot of this work of fiction. That she could translate such experience into a work of art says much for a visually challenged child. Adeife currently attends Prinshof School, Pretoria, South Africa for the Visually Impaired, where she has distinguished herself as an ardent scholar with leadership potential. She originally wrote Can You Imagine? in Braille and is already working on a sequel to the book. She is also a Play writer.
NENIO MBAZIMA
NENIO MBAZIMA was born in 1976 and became deaf at the age of 10 after a bout of meningitis. He returned to his school as a deaf person, and found an unfriendly and inaccessible environment where he struggled to adjust and learn. Through sheer determination and strength of character, has become a film producer, writer and role model in his community in Roodekop, near Alberton.
He also became the first deaf person to hold a black belt in karate in Southern Africa. A former fashion model, entrepreneur and Nenio is now an accomplished film producer, some time fashion model and the author of an autobiography, Strong Winds ,which tells the story of his struggle for access to education and employment as a deaf person.
