NEWS

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) & the DO MORE FOUNDATION, founded by RCL FOODS, have begun the distribution of food aid in several identified communities in South Africa, that have higher rates of poverty. The communities include Eesterust and Mamelodi. The beneficiaries are families with children who are dependent on early childhood development centres and school feeding schemes for nutritious meals. 

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to temporally increase the child support grant. On Tuesday Ramaphosa announced that beneficiaries “will now receive an extra R300 in May and from June to October they will receive an additional R500 each month”.

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) is concerned about the continued violation of children’s rights and the destruction infrastructure that is aimed at ensuring that they have a better future. It is shocking that almost 400 schools have been vandalized since the COVID-19 lockdown started.

The National Interagency Working (NIAWG) group on Unaccompanied, Separated and Migrant Children in South Africa would like to commend the Government of South Africa for its stance towards curbing and reducing the spread of COVID-19. The NIAWG would like to take this opportunity to emphasise that in its response the Government of South Africa should ensure that all children regardless of their country of origin or immigration status are protected and included in light of the unique impact of the declaration of a State of Disaster on vulnerable children.

Save the Children warns that the global COVID-19 pandemic threatens to devastate children’s health and education, and cause unprecedented protection needs. In South Africa is appealing for R10 million, as part of the global appeal of $100 million. The amount is needed to urgently keep children and their families safe during the global COVID-19 outbreak, the most serious threat to global health and security in modern times.

School closings, sick friends and family members, isolation at home – these and other factors can cause anxiety and stress for children during this COVID-19 outbreak. As a child rights-based organisation, we’re sharing these drama-based relaxation exercises. 



 

On Sunday (15 March 2020), President Cyril Ramaphosa declared COVID-19 a national disaster. In the wake of this, Save the Children South Africa offices across the country will close temporarily. This closure comes into effect today, 16 March 2020 until further notice. 

For the first time ever those working across Africa, in the interests of protecting children’s legal rights, are to be recognised at the annual African Legal Awards taking place in Johannesburg on September 4.

Zimbabwe’s worsening food crisis is forcing children to eat only once a day and walk for hours across dry rocky terrain to collect water, according to Save the Children. The agency is warning that without a major increase in the humanitarian response in Zimbabwe, lives will be lost as children and their families adopt more extreme coping mechanisms to survive.