WITH 69 million children under the age of five at the risk of dying in the next 14 years from preventable diseases, according to The UN Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the City and province have intensified their 1 000 Days Campaign.
The City and provincial health department have embarked on this campaign to focus on the health and well-being of children from the time of conception until the age of two.
Unicef says in its latest State of the World's Children Report that, by 2030, 167 million children will live in extreme poverty.
Despite great progress in school enrolment in many parts of the world, the number of children aged 6 to 11, who are out of school, has increased since 2011. About 124 million children and adolescents do not attend school, and two out of five leave primary school without learning how to read, write or do basic arithmetic, Unicef says.
In Cape Town, infant mortality rates have dropped from 25 deaths for every 1000 live births in 2003 to 15 deaths for every 1 000 live births in 2013, the City says.
Mayco member for health, Siyabulela Mamkeli, said: “The world has a mountain to climb to address child mortality. We've made some gains in South Africa, but we cannot rest on our laurels because we still have a lot of work to do, which is why this 1 000 Days Campaign is so important.”
Some of the interventions in the campaign include encouraging mothers-to-be to register for basic antenatal care before they are 20 weeks pregnant, a breast-feeding restoration plan advocating, implementation of a Nutrition Therapeutic Programme to address malnutrition, vaccination drives, and education and awareness programmes.
Provincial health department spokesperson Mark van der Heever said the initiative was a holistic programme promoting the well-being of mothers and their babies, as well as the healthy development of infants in communities across the province.
“The First 1000 Days of a child's development, starting from conception, moving through pregnancy, birth and the first two years of life, are crucial for securing a child's bright future,” he said.
Research indicates that the physical, emotional and mental development of infants progresses rapidly during the first 1 000-day period, during which the brain grows up to 80% of its size.
Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said: “We believe that the healthy early development of a child, and the well-being of the mother, is the responsibility of the community. It takes the whole village to raise a healthy child.”
“Every parent wants to see their child succeed in school and unlock opportunities for their future. Investing in their healthy development within the First 1 000 days is crucial.”
Ensuring the health and nutrition of both mother and baby; providing mothers and babies with support from fathers, families and the whole community; and providing the right stimulation for the baby's learning needs and giving them a safe substance abuse-free environment, is essential she said.