World Food Day is set to raise awareness and take action against worldwide hunger and malnutrition. In South Africa, millions of children go to bed hungry and lack access to safe, healthy, consistent, sufficient food. This is leading to alarmingly high rates of malnutrition across the country. 

 

According to Linton Mchunu, the Director-General of the Department of Social Development, an estimated 27.5% of children in South Africa are stunted due to malnutrition. Dr Kath Hall, a senior researcher at the Children’s Institute recently reported that eight million children in the country aren’t getting enough nutrition.  

 

South Africa’s rising food prices and high unemployment rate, which according to Statistics South Africa stands at 32,6%, mean many can’t provide children in their care with a healthy, balanced diet. COVID-19 has led to increased levels of hunger due to the significant number of job losses it caused. 

 

Children who are stunted are more likely to struggle to concentrate and learn in school, to not pursue tertiary education and thus find it hard to access employment, which perpetuates the cycle of generational poverty.  Because of their weaker immune systems, they are at greater risk of illness.

 

 

Stunt – having been prevented from growing or developing properly.

 

Since 2012, HOPE worldwide South Africa, an NGO providing Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes, has been delivering free nutritional support to pre-schools and households with children aged zero to six years in rural, urban and peri-urban communities that are home to highly vulnerable families with young children. The organisation delivers wholesome food in areas within seven provinces of South Africa, which include, but aren’t limited to, Diepsloot in Gauteng, Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, Thaba Nchu in the Free State, Umtata and villages in the Eastern Cape among numerous others.  

 

Dr Marc Aguirre, Country Director for HOPE worldwide South Africa, explains that good nutrition is vital for both brain and body development, especially in the early years. “When children don’t get the right nutrition, they can become stunted not only resulting in being short for their age, but it can also have a devastating impact on brain development.”

 

In working to address South Africa’s high rates of child hunger, in addition to delivering nutritious food to pre-schools, which are also known as ECD centres, and households with young children, HOPE worldwide SA also provides nutritious food to families with young children affected by disasters like floods and shack fires. The nourishing food items reach families who have lost everything and are forced to deal with the burden of worrying about where their next meal is coming from.

 

 

 

 

Dr Aguirre says a meal to a young, vulnerable child is more than just nutrition, it serves as a beacon of hope and security for parents grappling with food insecurity, alleviating their anxiety. “Importantly, it acts as a protective shield, reducing the risk of abuse and exploitation, particularly for single mothers who may otherwise face desperate circumstances to provide for their children,” he adds.

 

Visit https:// hopeworldwidesa.org for more information

 

Batswadi Magazine would like to encourage you to play your part today, and everyday, in alleviating hunger in our country. Let’s help build our nation