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This is a summary of a Daily Maverick opinion piece by De Wet Swanepoel highlighting South Africa’s shortcomings in early hearing detection. It emphasizes that delayed identification of hearing loss in infants contributes to learning gaps, advocates for universal newborn screening, and stresses timely intervention to support language development and educational outcomes.

This is a summary of a Daily Maverick opinion piece by De Wet Swanepoel highlighting South Africa’s shortcomings in early hearing detection. It emphasizes that delayed identification of hearing loss in infants contributes to learning gaps, advocates for universal newborn screening, and stresses timely intervention to support language development and educational outcomes.

This is a summary of the South African Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association page on World Hearing Day, an annual global advocacy event held on 3 March to raise awareness about preventing hearing loss and promoting ear and hearing care. The SASLHA page shares free downloadable awareness posters in multiple South African languages aimed at supporting communities and schools to protect children’s hearing and learning, aligned with the 2026 World Hearing Day theme “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for every child” as championed by the World Health Organization.

This is a summary of the South African Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association page on World Hearing Day, an annual global advocacy event held on 3 March to raise awareness about preventing hearing loss and promoting ear and hearing care. The SASLHA page shares free downloadable awareness posters in multiple South African languages aimed at supporting communities and schools to protect children’s hearing and learning, aligned with the 2026 World Hearing Day theme “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for every child” as championed by the World Health Organization.

This article explores why many South African teenage girls drink alcohol despite knowing the harms. It finds drinking as a way to feel part of social groups and “for the vibes,” driven by peer pressure, easy access, and cultural norms. The author highlights the emotional, financial and social costs that extend beyond hangovers.

This article explores why many South African teenage girls drink alcohol despite knowing the harms. It finds drinking as a way to feel part of social groups and “for the vibes,” driven by peer pressure, easy access, and cultural norms. The author highlights the emotional, financial and social costs that extend beyond hangovers.

This article argues that Africa must lead its own early childhood development agenda using locally relevant data. It highlights progress in data availability but notes persistent gaps and risks for children. The authors call for stronger investment, better data systems, and evidence-based policies to improve child development outcomes across the continent.

This article argues that Africa must lead its own early childhood development agenda using locally relevant data. It highlights progress in data availability but notes persistent gaps and risks for children. The authors call for stronger investment, better data systems, and evidence-based policies to improve child development outcomes across the continent.

This report from Movendi International reveals how multinational alcohol companies coordinated global interference throughout 2025, intensifying political lobbying, narrative control, and digital promotion to delay evidence-based alcohol policy. Based on 1,300 monitored cases and 77 studies, it exposes systematic tactics that protect industry interests at the expense of public health and equity.

This report from Movendi International reveals how multinational alcohol companies coordinated global interference throughout 2025, intensifying political lobbying, narrative control, and digital promotion to delay evidence-based alcohol policy. Based on 1,300 monitored cases and 77 studies, it exposes systematic tactics that protect industry interests at the expense of public health and equity.

This study developed a flexible, tiered same-day screening model for preschoolers in low-resource early childhood education settings. Using participatory feedback, the model streamlines visits, shortens assessments, and tailors developmental and health screening to each child’s readiness, enhancing feasibility, cultural responsiveness and early identification for referral in low- and middle-income contexts.

This study developed a flexible, tiered same-day screening model for preschoolers in low-resource early childhood education settings. Using participatory feedback, the model streamlines visits, shortens assessments, and tailors developmental and health screening to each child’s readiness, enhancing feasibility, cultural responsiveness and early identification for referral in low- and middle-income contexts.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that strengthening alcohol control policies like higher taxes, minimum unit pricing, and limited sales days generally reduces overall alcohol consumption. Pricing policies showed the largest effect, especially among low-income drinkers, though evidence on impacts across gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups remains limited.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that strengthening alcohol control policies like higher taxes, minimum unit pricing, and limited sales days generally reduces overall alcohol consumption. Pricing policies showed the largest effect, especially among low-income drinkers, though evidence on impacts across gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups remains limited.

This article describes a mixed-methods study in Cambodia that tested three behavioral interventions family support, tracking calendar, and educational videos to improve pregnant women’s adherence to daily multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) and promote healthy practices. Family involvement was most valued; combined strategies are recommended for future programs.

This article describes a mixed-methods study in Cambodia that tested three behavioral interventions family support, tracking calendar, and educational videos to improve pregnant women’s adherence to daily multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) and promote healthy practices. Family involvement was most valued; combined strategies are recommended for future programs.

This article about how global alcohol companies are pivoting from shrinking markets in Europe and North America to pursue growth in African and other emerging markets. It discusses concerns that this strategic shift could increase alcohol availability, influence and related health harms in Africa.

This article about how global alcohol companies are pivoting from shrinking markets in Europe and North America to pursue growth in African and other emerging markets. It discusses concerns that this strategic shift could increase alcohol availability, influence and related health harms in Africa.

A discussion on Angola’s pilot Universal Child Benefit called Valor Criança, designed to give regular unconditional cash support to families with young children. It highlights how the programme improved nutrition, health access, empowerment and household well-being, and argues that universal child benefits could be a transformative, affordable part of social security across sub-Saharan Africa.

A discussion on Angola’s pilot Universal Child Benefit called Valor Criança, designed to give regular unconditional cash support to families with young children. It highlights how the programme improved nutrition, health access, empowerment and household well-being, and argues that universal child benefits could be a transformative, affordable part of social security across sub-Saharan Africa.

This article explains how strengthening South Africa’s alcohol excise tax structure can reduce alcohol‑related harm. It argues that increasing taxes above inflation and using narrower, alcohol‑content‑based tiers can raise prices, cut consumption, and encourage lower‑strength products, ultimately lowering deaths, injuries and healthcare costs.

This article explains how strengthening South Africa’s alcohol excise tax structure can reduce alcohol‑related harm. It argues that increasing taxes above inflation and using narrower, alcohol‑content‑based tiers can raise prices, cut consumption, and encourage lower‑strength products, ultimately lowering deaths, injuries and healthcare costs.

This is a reflection on monitoring systems for parenting programmes during dissemination and scale-up, highlighting practical challenges and lessons learned. The paper discusses how implementation context, data quality, and adaptation affect monitoring effectiveness, emphasising the need for sustainable, coordinated approaches to ensure programme fidelity, learning, and impact at scale.

This is a reflection on monitoring systems for parenting programmes during dissemination and scale-up, highlighting practical challenges and lessons learned. The paper discusses how implementation context, data quality, and adaptation affect monitoring effectiveness, emphasising the need for sustainable, coordinated approaches to ensure programme fidelity, learning, and impact at scale.

This article explains that teenagers thrive when parents listen, empathize, and provide emotional safety rather than immediately solving problems. Teens need support, understanding, and guidance while developing independence, and benefit from knowing a trusted adult is present to help manage stress without judgment.

This article explains that teenagers thrive when parents listen, empathize, and provide emotional safety rather than immediately solving problems. Teens need support, understanding, and guidance while developing independence, and benefit from knowing a trusted adult is present to help manage stress without judgment.

Early Childhood Matters is a global storytelling platform connecting voices and ideas that advance collective thinking on early childhood development. It aims to ignite conversations and widen perspectives on what we can do to ensure a good start for all babies, toddlers and their caregivers.

Early Childhood Matters is a global storytelling platform connecting voices and ideas that advance collective thinking on early childhood development. It aims to ignite conversations and widen perspectives on what we can do to ensure a good start for all babies, toddlers and their caregivers.

This scoping review synthesizes global evidence on responsive caregiving examining caregiver, child, and contextual factors that influence caregiver responsiveness and how it relates to children’s neurodevelopment and mental health. It highlights significant gaps in research from the Global South and stresses that socio‑cultural contexts should inform inclusive interventions to strengthen caregiving and promote early child development.

This scoping review synthesizes global evidence on responsive caregiving examining caregiver, child, and contextual factors that influence caregiver responsiveness and how it relates to children’s neurodevelopment and mental health. It highlights significant gaps in research from the Global South and stresses that socio‑cultural contexts should inform inclusive interventions to strengthen caregiving and promote early child development.

This article explores caregivers’ lived experiences with early childhood care and education in Kenya and Uganda. The study critiques dominant, universal ECCE policies and argues that culturally responsive, context‑sensitive programmes that recognise indigenous knowledge and informal community systems are essential for meaningful ECCE provision.

This article explores caregivers’ lived experiences with early childhood care and education in Kenya and Uganda. The study critiques dominant, universal ECCE policies and argues that culturally responsive, context‑sensitive programmes that recognise indigenous knowledge and informal community systems are essential for meaningful ECCE provision.

This report highlights South Africa’s ongoing school dropout crisis, showing that up to 4 in 10 learners leave before Grade 12. It argues that school dropout is driven by cumulative psychosocial issues like poverty, violence, poor mental health, hunger, weak support and unsafe environments, and stresses embedding psychosocial support into schooling to keep learners engaged and improve retention.

This report highlights South Africa’s ongoing school dropout crisis, showing that up to 4 in 10 learners leave before Grade 12. It argues that school dropout is driven by cumulative psychosocial issues like poverty, violence, poor mental health, hunger, weak support and unsafe environments, and stresses embedding psychosocial support into schooling to keep learners engaged and improve retention.

This report presents evidence that food insecurity in South Africa is high, persistent and structural. It shows rising food insecurity from 2019–2023, with many households including those with children worried about food, skipping meals, or going without food. Rising food prices, unemployment and inadequate safety nets drive hardship. The report calls for targeted, child‑focused nutrition and food support policies.

This report presents evidence that food insecurity in South Africa is high, persistent and structural. It shows rising food insecurity from 2019–2023, with many households including those with children worried about food, skipping meals, or going without food. Rising food prices, unemployment and inadequate safety nets drive hardship. The report calls for targeted, child‑focused nutrition and food support policies.

This study explores how stunting is measured and monitored in South Africa, focusing on conceptual and methodological challenges that influence prevalence estimates. It highlights inconsistencies in data collection, sampling, and age definitions across surveys, which affect comparability. The authors recommend improved standardisation and stronger surveillance systems to enhance accuracy in tracking child stunting trends and informing policy decisions

This study explores how stunting is measured and monitored in South Africa, focusing on conceptual and methodological challenges that influence prevalence estimates. It highlights inconsistencies in data collection, sampling, and age definitions across surveys, which affect comparability. The authors recommend improved standardisation and stronger surveillance systems to enhance accuracy in tracking child stunting trends and informing policy decisions

This research article analyses how parental death versus parental absence impacts child stunting and hunger, using regional data to distinguish their effects on child nutritional outcomes. It explores the added disadvantage faced by children who lose parents or live apart from them and the implications for targeting nutrition and social support policies.

This research article analyses how parental death versus parental absence impacts child stunting and hunger, using regional data to distinguish their effects on child nutritional outcomes. It explores the added disadvantage faced by children who lose parents or live apart from them and the implications for targeting nutrition and social support policies.

This is a South African research article identifying priority interventions to reduce stunting among children in the complementary feeding period (around 6–24 months). It reviews evidence and suggests targeted nutrition, health, care and community strategies to improve dietary quality, feeding practices and growth outcomes in early childhood

This is a South African research article identifying priority interventions to reduce stunting among children in the complementary feeding period (around 6–24 months). It reviews evidence and suggests targeted nutrition, health, care and community strategies to improve dietary quality, feeding practices and growth outcomes in early childhood

This policy update summarises a World Health Organization (WHO) global report on alcohol taxation showing taxes on alcoholic drinks are widely applied but too low, poorly designed and often not adjusted for inflation, keeping alcohol affordable and harm high. WHO urges governments to raise and redesign excise taxes on all alcoholic beverages to reduce consumption, improve public health, advance equity and increase government revenue.

This policy update summarises a World Health Organization (WHO) global report on alcohol taxation showing taxes on alcoholic drinks are widely applied but too low, poorly designed and often not adjusted for inflation, keeping alcohol affordable and harm high. WHO urges governments to raise and redesign excise taxes on all alcoholic beverages to reduce consumption, improve public health, advance equity and increase government revenue.

This global assessment found that while most countries tax alcoholic beverages, the excise taxes are often too low, poorly structured, and not regularly updated, keeping alcohol affordable and undermining health gains. It recommends raising and redesigning taxes on all alcohol types to reduce consumption, protect health, and boost government revenue.

This global assessment found that while most countries tax alcoholic beverages, the excise taxes are often too low, poorly structured, and not regularly updated, keeping alcohol affordable and undermining health gains. It recommends raising and redesigning taxes on all alcohol types to reduce consumption, protect health, and boost government revenue.

This peer‑reviewed study examines dietary intake and nutrient status among pregnant women in the Free State Province of South Africa, exploring how household food insecurity affects key nutrient consumption. It identifies widespread shortfalls in essential nutrients (protein, fibre, vitamins C, D, E, K and others), emphasises the role of supplements, and highlights implications for maternal and fetal health, suggesting that nutrition education, food fortification, supplementation and poverty‑alleviation strategies are crucial.

This peer‑reviewed study examines dietary intake and nutrient status among pregnant women in the Free State Province of South Africa, exploring how household food insecurity affects key nutrient consumption. It identifies widespread shortfalls in essential nutrients (protein, fibre, vitamins C, D, E, K and others), emphasises the role of supplements, and highlights implications for maternal and fetal health, suggesting that nutrition education, food fortification, supplementation and poverty‑alleviation strategies are crucial.

This review examines how cost influences access and sustainability of early intervention (EI) services for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing children across Africa. High out‑of‑pocket expenses, limited public funding, fragmented financing, and inequitable access to hearing technologies hinder service uptake. The paper advocates integrating economic evidence into policy, expanding public financing, pooled procurement, and culturally responsive, community‑based models to improve equity and long‑term outcomes.

This review examines how cost influences access and sustainability of early intervention (EI) services for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing children across Africa. High out‑of‑pocket expenses, limited public funding, fragmented financing, and inequitable access to hearing technologies hinder service uptake. The paper advocates integrating economic evidence into policy, expanding public financing, pooled procurement, and culturally responsive, community‑based models to improve equity and long‑term outcomes.

This is a media statement outlining that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will convene a National Investigative Hearing into South Africa’s food systems during Human Rights Month in March 2026. The hearing will examine persistent hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity despite the country’s food production capacity.

This is a media statement outlining that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will convene a National Investigative Hearing into South Africa’s food systems during Human Rights Month in March 2026. The hearing will examine persistent hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity despite the country’s food production capacity.

This study synthesises lessons from implementation research on introducing antenatal multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) in four low‑income countries. It identifies context‑specific successes and challenges in switching from iron‑folic acid to MMS for pregnant women, highlighting the importance of policy support, community engagement, supply chains, monitoring and collaboration. These insights aim to inform effective scaling of MMS programmes globally.

This study synthesises lessons from implementation research on introducing antenatal multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) in four low‑income countries. It identifies context‑specific successes and challenges in switching from iron‑folic acid to MMS for pregnant women, highlighting the importance of policy support, community engagement, supply chains, monitoring and collaboration. These insights aim to inform effective scaling of MMS programmes globally.

This is a summary of a systematic review in Infant and Child Development defining parent responsiveness. It presents a theoretical model detailing how parents recognize, interpret, and respond to infants’ cues, emphasizing timing, sensitivity, and appropriateness. The model links responsive parenting to improved cognitive, social, and emotional development in early childhood.

This is a summary of a systematic review in Infant and Child Development defining parent responsiveness. It presents a theoretical model detailing how parents recognize, interpret, and respond to infants’ cues, emphasizing timing, sensitivity, and appropriateness. The model links responsive parenting to improved cognitive, social, and emotional development in early childhood.

Life Orientation on EduPortal offers structured resources for Life Skills and Life Orientation across South African school phases, from Intermediate (Grades 4–6) to Senior (Grades 7–9) and FET (Grades 10–12), guiding learners through holistic life‑skills development.

Life Orientation on EduPortal offers structured resources for Life Skills and Life Orientation across South African school phases, from Intermediate (Grades 4–6) to Senior (Grades 7–9) and FET (Grades 10–12), guiding learners through holistic life‑skills development.

This is a scoping review examining quantitative measures of subjective wellbeing used with adolescents (aged ~10–24 years). It identified 52 distinct measures, mapped them to a global adolescent wellbeing framework, and found that while many capture wellbeing domains, some areas especially safety and supportive environments are less consistently measured. The review highlights tools that can improve population wellbeing monitoring and guide policy and interventions.

This is a scoping review examining quantitative measures of subjective wellbeing used with adolescents (aged ~10–24 years). It identified 52 distinct measures, mapped them to a global adolescent wellbeing framework, and found that while many capture wellbeing domains, some areas especially safety and supportive environments are less consistently measured. The review highlights tools that can improve population wellbeing monitoring and guide policy and interventions.