PRAESA. Award Laureates 2015 1
a story in both English and one of the official S
outh African languages. In partnership with a new research organisation, the PETS Foundation, PRAESA has also initiated a project to explore using e-tablets in schools to support student reading. PRAESA focuses on encouraging children to read for enjoyment, building their self-esteem and helping them connect to their native language through reading and stories. For more than twenty years, PRAESA has made powerful, innovative moves to highlight literature as a key component of both personal and societal development, always grounded in the specific conditions of South African society and culture. In 2014, PRAESA received the Asahi Reading Promotion Award, a prize instituted by IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People. PRAESA’s work manifests fundamental values of democracy and a view on human rights inherited from its founder, Neville Alexander. It is pledged to break down language barriers and support the peaceful co-existence of languages, in partnership with others and with full faith in linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversity.