Temu Supplies Help Limpopo Woman Upgrade Rural Reading Club

• South Africa’s literacy gap inspired Limpopo resident Kwena Ramasinya to start a community reading club for children in her rural area
• The passionate educator told Briefly News how affordable finds on Temu helped her upgrade the learning space and set up a small outdoor reading garden
• She shared her passion for improving children’s reading and writing skills, and how she continues to support young learners in her community

Thirty-four-year-old Kwena Ramasinya runs Bagwera ba Dipuku, a non-profit reading club in Phalaborwa, Limpopo. She founded it to help local children access books and strengthen basic literacy skills.

“This matters to me because I believe education is the strongest tool to break cycles of poverty.”

In the early days, budget constraints made even simple teaching supplies hard to obtain. Ramasinya recalls that the children “had nothing to look at or interact with,” which made it difficult to keep them engaged.

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To improve the space, she began sourcing items on Temu, the e-commerce platform. She bought wall decals and educational posters to make the classroom more engaging, and added phonics cards, spelling games, small bookshelves, and storage bags to support daily reading activities.

“Most of the items were meant to create a print-rich and child-friendly reading environment.”

A recent survey showed that 46% of South African shoppers save more than half of their budget by using Temu, and nearly 40% shop on the platform at least once a month. For Ramasinya, this meant she could build a safe and nurturing space where children could learn and dream big.

Temu supplies help build an outdoor reading garden

In October 2025, Ramasinya shared her initiative in the Facebook group One Family One Stockpile and received a R2,000 Temu voucher from the platform. The support allowed her to further upgrade the space with new literacy materials, shade netting, and garden mesh to set up a small outdoor reading garden ahead of the rainy season.

“These resources have transformed our classroom into an engaging and inspiring space where children are motivated to read and participate every day.”

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The reading garden is now used for outdoor reading circles, story discussions, and holiday programs. It reduces indoor crowding and has quickly become one of the children’s favourite areas for learning.

As the club expands, Ramasinya is gradually shaping it into a more structured program that includes storytelling, public speaking, media skills, and digital learning content, offered through their holiday program and after-school hub.

Looking ahead, she hopes to reach more children in rural communities and build Bagwera ba Dipuku into a sustainable educational platform that supports learners from low-income households.

Other Briefly News stories about Temu

• A woman taking care of her chronically ill child while coping with her stroke recovery found a way to do it affordably with Temu.
• One lady posted a TikTok video of all the supplies she bought on Temu to start her small business.
• The Temu purchase one woman chose made a big difference to children without access to reading.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News