More than just a website

Our new website is here! It’s more than a digital home –  it’s a tribute to the past 20 years, a tool for today, and a bridge to the next 20. 

For the past two years, with the generous support of Shine Literacy, Wordworks has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this new website to life.  

This is more than a digital platform  – it is a testament to collaboration between ourselves and people we never knew we needed. It has been built through late-night shifts and early mornings, moments of joy and moments of frustration. We bumped heads, cried, felt the weight of deadlines, missed emails (and ignored a few too), and got buried in more spreadsheets than we care to remember.

It has been a mental, emotional, and physical marathon for all of us and for some, even our families felt the toll. But we kept going, because for us this is more than “just a website.” It sits at the heart of what matters most: being at the forefront of early literacy, owning our space as thought leaders, and finding innovative ways to connect with each other, with you, and ultimately with the lives of young learners.

The Early Literacy Hub is the heartbeat of this new platform. It opens up Wordworks’ legacy more widely than ever before – making resources, training, and courses more accessible, while inviting individuals, ECD centres, schools, and organisations to partner with us. This Hub is where knowledge, collaboration, and the early literacy sector come together.

This site is also a way of paying homage to those who came before us, especially the women whose vision, commitment, and hard work made the last 20 years possible, and left a legacy for future generations to thrive. As you explore, you will come across some of their stories, embedded into this masterpiece (yes, we dare call it that), because this website is both a celebration of them and a gift to the future.

We also want to acknowledge the generosity of Shine Literacy, who not only funded this work but entrusted us with their programmes and resources, many of which now live on this site, extending their impact even further. And to Matogen Digital, who walked alongside us with patience and creativity to turn ideas, drafts, and scattered visions into this platform – thank you.

So here it is. From us to you, and to everyone in the early literacy sector, donors, and all stakeholders who made this possible: thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the next 20 years, and to building them together.

Mammuso Makhanya