SA stands at a critical moment in its journey towards ensuring every child survives, thrives and reaches their full potential.
While significant progress has been made in recognising the importance of early childhood development, one in four children remains at risk of stunting, a condition that limits physical growth, cognitive development and future opportunities.
The National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC) represents an important opportunity to move beyond commitments and towards coordinated action that places children at the centre of national development.
The first 1,000 days of life, from conception to a child’s second birthday, represent the most important window for growth and development.
It is during this period that the foundations for health, learning, wellbeing and economic participation are established. Investing in children during this critical period is not only a moral imperative but also one of the smartest investments SA can make in its future.
The NSAAC arrives at a time when government, civil society, communities and development partners are increasingly aligned around the need to strengthen support for children and caregivers.
What is now required is implementation at scale, ensuring that families have access to the information, services and support they need to help children grow, learn and thrive.
Intervention by the government and organisations such as Grow Great will help accelerate awareness of stunting and the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Mothers need to be empowered with the knowledge that a child’s nutritional health needs to be taken care of when they are still pregnant. Organisations like Flourish, which work hand in hand with Grow Great, are doing an impeccable job in going to clinics to give such information.
We have to ensure the strategy is implemented; otherwise, it will just gather dust. The right to obtain a birth certificate and other identity documents is very important for accessing basic rights, such as public healthcare for both the mother and the child.
Facilities are there to offer basic information about teaching mothers the importance of child nutrition in ensuring that children develop both physically and cognitively.
A child’s home environment largely determines whether they are well, cognitively stimulated, and happy. Strengthening and supporting families to care for their children is critical throughout the child’s life and adolescence, as it plays a protective role and reduces the need for alternative care.
Economic development is closely tied to family wellbeing. Children and young people thrive when families do well. When families earn a living, they contribute to stable, prosperous and supportive community environments.
The successful implementation of the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children will depend on more than individual programmes. It will require stronger coordination across the health, nutrition, social development and early learning sectors.
It will require better use of data, stronger referral pathways and greater accountability to ensure that children and caregivers receive timely support.
Most importantly, it will require collective action to ensure that no child is left behind during the critical first 1,000 days.
- Dr Mphaphuli is the executive director at Grow Great, a national campaign working to halve childhood stunting by 2030
