Time to PROTECT and PRIORITIZE
Thirty years since the dawn of democracy in South Africa and in a year of national elections, the ‘ Manifesto for Every Child in South Africa 2024: Time to PROTECT and PRIORITIZE’ calls for children and young people – the nation’s largest and greatest resource – to be put front and center in the country’s development. Three decades ago, hope…, Get involved, Learn what needs to happen Learn what you can do For children and youth For parents UNICEF in action, What needs to happen, UNICEF’s ‘Manifesto for Every Child in South Africa 2024’ calls on all partners, from government to private sector, academia to civil society, parents and children and young people themselves, to strengthen efforts to ensure every child, including those living with disabilities, and migrant and refugee children, can survive and thrive to help…, PROTECT every child from violence, including online, To save lives and improve mental wellbeing Promote UNICEF parenting positive and nurturing parenting , through scaling-up access to parenting empowerment resources. Commit to budgeting violence prevention and early intervention work to tackle issues at their core and provide vital care and support for the most vulnerable children. Promote a Online…, PRIORITIZE quality, relevant, safe, and inclusive learning, To transform education and improve literacy and numeracy outcomes Improve access to inclusive and quality learning from a young age to build stronger Investing in foundational learning drives development foundational literacy and numeracy with relevant competencies to develop throughout life. Strengthen teachers’ capacity to deliver quality and…, PROTECT every child from deadly but preventable diseases, To scale-up access to routine childhood immunizations Ensure every parent is empowered through the ‘Road to Health’ booklet to monitor their child’s health and follow-up on needed vaccinations. Prevent vaccine stock-outs at healthcare facilities by implementing effective vaccine management. Tackle vaccine hesitancy by communicating the positive…, PROTECT children and adolescents from HIV and reduce teenage pregnancies, To support and promote healthier and safer lifestyles Ensure that all learners, adolescents and young people have access to confidential and child-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and effectively implement the ‘integrated school health policy’ and ‘comprehensive sexuality education’. Empower adolescents to act as peer mentors…, PRIORITIZE children and young people in the response to the climate and environmental crisis, To mitigate the impact, adapt services and to empower children and youth to respond Invest in adapting essential child services through climate resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services and renewable energy in schools, ECD centers and healthcare facilities. Commit to the meaningful participation of children and youth in shaping and…, PROTECT every child from the scourge of all forms of malnutrition, To reduce stunting that impairs the youngest children and obesity that affects and increases health risks among adolescents Improve the cross-sectoral response to tackle malnutrition, through safe water and sanitation, nutritious food in schools and homes and early health care when needed. Promote and increase exclusive breastfeeding rates to…, PRIORITIZE children and young people in efforts to reduce poverty and inequality, To support the most vulnerable children and to provide opportunities for the most marginalized youth Commit to reducing child multidimensional poverty through child sensitive budgets, policies and laws, alongside greater investments in social security and effective monitoring of child wellbeing. Scale-up access to relevant digital learning, tech…, What we can all do to make change happen, Together, with all partners, including children and young people at the center, we can transform the lives and futures of children and young people across South Africa. UNICEF South Africa thanks all its partners and donors for their shared engagement in working to protect the rights of and improve the wellbeing of every child in South Africa,…, UNICEF in action
South Africa
