The condition of children in South Africa, particularly those under six, is worsening, according to a new report, with nearly 40% of them being hungry, 500 000 more at serious risk of malnutrition now than before Covid-19, and the numbers of those dying before their fifth birthday increasing dramatically.
The South African Early Childhood Review 2024, which tracks data on the status of children under six, reveals that more of them are likely to live in poverty, suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition – even in traditionally wealthier provinces – than before the pandemic, reports TimesLIVE.
Published collaboratively by Ilifa Labantwana; the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town (UCT); the Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Department in the Presidency; the Basic Education Department (DBE); the Grow Great Campaign and DataDrive2030, the report was released yesterday.
“The pandemic erased gains made for young children in South Africa, presenting a huge setback from which we have not fully recovered,” said Dr Katharine Hall, senior researcher at the Children’s Institute at UCT.
The report details preliminary estimates by the Medical Research Council that show 30 of every 1 000 babies born alive did not live to their first birthday in 2022 and the under-five mortality rate increased from a low of 29 per 1 000 live births in 2020 to 40 in 2022, indicating, said the researchers, that the overall improvements seen in under five and infant mortality rates in the 10 years leading up to the pandemic have begun to reverse.
The underlying reasons are unclear, but poverty and malnutrition, which also increased over the period, are probably contributing factors.
“Nearly 40% of children under six now live in households below the food poverty line and 500 000 more children are at serious risk of malnutrition than before Covid-19. Children in rural parts of the country have historically been the most vulnerable to poverty and poor nutrition, but now we are seeing a rise everywhere – even in the wealthier urban provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape,” said Dr Edzani Mphaphuli, executive director of Grow Great.
A positive change is that leadership by the DBE and the National Planning Commission has led to South Africa now having data to measure and address the gaps.
The DBE, which assumed responsibility for early childhood development (ECD) in 2022, spearheaded the 2021/2022 ECD Census, the Thrive by Five Index 2021 and the ECD Baseline Assessment of pre-primary learning. This means there is now real progress towards making access to quality ECD universal, especially for the most vulnerable children.
According to the review, the Thrive by Five Index 2021 found only 46% of four-year-olds attending an early learning programme were developmentally on track for their age. Maternal and child health services were hit hard by Covid-19 but have mostly recovered and nine of 10 children under six rely on the public health system.
A key recommendation of the review is the new government of national unity “presents an unmissable opportunity to improve co-ordination among the national and provincial departments responsible for ECD and accelerate the expansion of essential and quality ECD services”.
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