The Mikhulu Child Development Trust was established by two research professors: Peter Cooper and Lynne Murray. Currently they are both Emeritus Professors at the University of Reading in the UK. They are both Fellows of the British Academy. They developed the dialogic book-sharing intervention for delivery in South Africa.

In 2015, following the success of a pilot trial and a randomised control trial of the book-sharing programme (Cooper et al, 2014; Vally et al, 2015; Murray et al, 2016) carried out with colleagues at Stellenbosch University, they established the Mikhulu Trust (UK Charity Number 1158733) in order to disseminate dialogic book-sharing. Since then, they have developed several versions of the book-sharing programme for delivery in various contexts and to different groups.

Peter and Lynne provide training and support to researchers across the world. Currently, they are supporting research projects in the UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Kenya, Namibia, Turkey, Brazil, Colombia, and the USA.

Mikhulu Research

We conducted a randomised controlled trial on book-sharing with the University of Reading and Stellenbosch University in Khayelitsha, South Africa, in 2014 and 2015. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, has been cited widely and has led the World Health Organisation to endorse the programme.

Research supported by Mikhulu

The Mikhulu trust supports academics and practitioners around the world who are conducting research using our training materials. Find out more about some of the studies currently underway by clicking on the button below.

#MakingSenseAtMikhulu | Mikhulu Trust launches new infographic range

Our programmes at Mikhulu Trust are underpinned by academic research about the benefits of book-sharing on young children. This research is now accessible via our new #MakingSenseAtMikhulu infographics – a range of easy-read materials that clearly explain the research projects that we have been involved in.