South Africa

Handwashing: Helping make children healthy

 

 

“Washing hands time” announces Isaac Mazibuko, the Principal of Sishila Primary School, outside Nelspruit in eastern South Africa.

His call is met, within seconds, by a long and orderly queue of learners outside a modest brick structure on the school grounds. It is this structure that houses a 3-meter long pipe, with 17 nozzles, and it is under its tin roof where little hands are washed and teeth are brushed prior to their daily meal provided by the National School Nutrition Programme.

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A long and dusty gravel road leads to a series of flat concrete structures that comprise Mogodiri Intermediate School on the outskirts of Ventersdorp in the North-West province of South Africa. Surrounded by indigenous ‘veld’, the school is the only learning institution in the vicinity. Children, some as young as five, walk up to six kilometres each way to get to school and although a bus has been provided, it is not always reliable.

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mHealth and Young People in South Africa

  

This report identifies digital resources targeted at providing adolescents and young people in South Africa with sexual and reproductive health and rights, family planning and healthy pregnancy information and advice. The report explores young people’s self-reported online behaviours and preferred sources of information on health-related issues and their experiences with using their mobile phones including the enablers and barriers to the use of mobile phones for health-related activities. Data was collected during the period from November to December 2015.

Recent publications

National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy

UNICEF Biennial Report 2014-2015

South African Child Gauge 2016

Presentations: 11th Annual Early Childhood Development Knowledge Building Seminar 2016

Early Means Early - Mapping the gaps