Michelle Obama visits the Emthonjeni Community Service Project

Pictured: ALA students Madia Thiam and Dvhani Tombush sit with their young readers, listening to Michelle Obama

During her recent visit to South Africa, Michelle Obama visited the children’s crèche at Emthonjeni, a primary school in the Zandspruit informal settlement. The creche’s reading program was created by ALA students, and is run by them as one of their community service projects.

Mrs. Obama participated in the program  by reading “The Cat in the Hat” to the young children.

Eleven ALA students were invited to attend the event with two, Madia Thiam, past director of the reading program, and Dhvani Tombush, invited to sit with the young children and help guide their participation in the day’s events.

Other activities included teaching a dance to the Obama family (Mrs. Obama was accompanied by both of her daughters and her mother).

This wasn’t the only way in which ALA and the First Lady engaged during her brief visit. Three ALA students were among the seventy-six young women chosen to join Mrs. Obama for a two-day celebration and exploration of the roles that African women can play in changing the continent.