Getting to Know Your International Contacts

My previous request for information from the professor in South Africa was answered by her daughter. She informed me her mother passed away recently. And I have not heard anything for the Mali organization. The links for the World Forum radio podcast was not accessible, but I was able to find some interesting information on the UNICEF website about Africa’s plight on poverty and early childhood.
South Africa’s Child support Grant.
The Child Support Grant, approximately 32US dollars per child has been instrumental in reducing poverty and vulnerability on children. An impact study contracted by the Department of Social Development South African Social Security Agency and UNICEF, and carried out by the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI), showed children receiving the grant at birth were more successful in school they also were less likely to experience stunting, and have their health monitored by a health care professional.
A principal feature of the grant is that it is largely unconditional. Women are the main recipients of the grant and use it to secure good nutrition, schooling, care and other essentials. The grant regularly supports the entire household due to widespread poverty and the lack of unemployment.
Since the grants inception in 1998, the number of children receiving the grant has increased. The age limit of eligibility was raised from 7 to 18, and the income threshold was increased to include more children. Efforts to increase enrollment have not produced the expected numbers, even with the process being simplified. Approximately two million children are not receiving grant benefits. Reasons range form problems acquiring necessary documents, lack of information about application procedures or misinformation about eligibility. Findings of the assessment will be used to ensure all children are benefitting from the grant.
The impact of poverty is devastating, but a few dollars can make a huge difference in the wellbeing of a child. Mothers being able to take their child to a clinic for a checkup, purchase nutritional food for the family and invest in education are necessities that can be taken for granted in other parts of the world.
Child support grants prove critical to reducing child poverty in South Africa. (2012, May 31). Retrieved from UNICEF South Africa: http://www.unicef.org/search/search.php?q=Poverty&type=Main



Comments

Unknown said…
Thank you for sharing this information. UNICEF is a great organization and I am so glad they work so hard to help the children and families.
September 22, 2013 at 3:42 PM
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