One in 25 children don’t reach 5th birthday – report
One in every 25 children in South Africa dies before their fifth birthday.
This is the finding of the South African Child Gauge 2024.
The report has been published by the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town in partnership with UNICEF.
The report has found that South Africa's children are facing a crisis.
It says following the Covid-19 pandemic, families and government departments have come under pressure with a rise in poverty and spending cuts now threatening the health, survival and development of young children.
According to the gauge, 71 percent of children are below the upper-bound poverty line in households that do not have enough income to meet their needs.
One in every four children under the age of five are also stunted.
It's recommended five key interventions which include be restoring the value of the child support grant to the food poverty line, and introducing support for pregnant women.
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