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Thanks to the unwavering support of many of our partners over the past year, Save the Children South Africa implemented a successful “children in emergencies” project starting March 2020. We led a national advocacy call for the inclusion of migrant and undocumented children and their families in the national emergency response plan which contributed to governments’ decision to remove all exclusionary requirements for aid, such as South African ID documents.

When we first launched Africa Legal, I won’t pretend that rights and well-being of children were at the top of the agenda.  Providing access to more affordable education across Africa and creating jobs - yes, very much so - but trying to address very painful issues of child poverty, exploitation and basic human rights for minors - no, there are much more capable people and organisations out there for that…aren’t there? 
 

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) has been working tirelessly to deliver emergency assistance to some of the most vulnerable children in our country. 

A common question at the start of any meeting these days is “where has the year gone?” It is quite normal, I find, to lament the fast-paced passing of time around mid-Winter, but 2020 has been extraordinarily different, for many obvious and not so obvious reasons. 

When we set out at the beginning of March to discuss the implications of the impending COVID-19 crisis on our operations and how this will affect children, we had a very narrow view of the future. Like everyone else we were waiting for the storm to blow over. Little did we know how this would change the way that we work and most importantly the way that children experience the world.

A child's best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child, as mentioned in the South African constitution. The United Nation Convention on the Right of child (UNCRC) further states that “States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures”.