Rural children face poorer health and a life of lower earnings than urban kids
The South African Early Childhood Review 2017 shows that rural children are less likely to be fully immunised and receive help if they are malnourished
Whether in leafy suburbs or overcrowded shacklands‚ urban children in SA still have a huge advantage over their rural counterparts. An extensive review has revealed exactly what that advantage means for half the children under the age of six years in our country: they are being deprived of even the most basic services and‚ as a result‚ they face a lifetime of lower earning potential‚ poorer health and hampered learning ability. The South African Early Childhood Review 2017 was released on Wednesday‚ analysing more than 40 data points measuring the progress of early childhood development (ECD) service delivery. The provinces with the highest share of rural children under the age of six years are the Eastern Cape (60%); Limpopo (83%); KwaZulu-Natal (61%) and Mpumalanga (85%). "This is serious when you consider that 43% of our young children are living in rural areas‚" said Colin Almeleh‚ executive director of Ilifa Labantwana and co-author of the South African Early Childhood Review 2...
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