The proportion of children in South Africa who have lost one or both parents has increased over the past five years (2019-2024), rising from 17% to 21% of all children. Furthermore, it is estimated that 42% of young boys and 43% of young girls in South Africa will experience some form of abuse before the age of 5. Poverty, neglect, and exploitation are likely to have a devastating impact on children’s quality of life and the future of their communities.
The proportion of children in South Africa who have lost one or both parents has increased over the past five years (2019-2024), rising from 17% to 21% of all children. Furthermore, it is estimated that 42% of young boys and 43% of young girls in South Africa will experience some form of abuse before the age of 5. Poverty, neglect, and exploitation are likely to have a devastating impact on children’s quality of life and the future of their communities.
To address these challenges, MM ECD Academy will provide services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), ensuring access to quality education, special needs support, healthcare, psychological services, and training to strengthen caregiver-child relationships, as well as child protection interventions.
Child well-being refers to the overall quality of a child’s life. It is a dynamic state that is enhanced when a child can fulfil personal and social goals. Various domains are used to assess childhood well-being. MM ECD Academy measures child well-being using six key dimensions: material well-being, health and safety, education, peer and family relationships, behaviors and risks, and the child’s own subjective sense of well-being.
The selection criteria for vulnerable children to attend the No-Fee Paying ECD Centre include those who:
- Have no surviving parent or alternate caregiver.
- Live in a child-headed household.
- Live in households with many orphaned or abandoned children, often experiencing increased poverty as a result.
- Live with a terminally ill parent or primary caregiver, especially when the child may be the main caregiver for the ill person.
- Live with adults or youth struggling with addiction to alcohol or drugs, negatively affecting the children.
- Experience harmful treatment that affects their emotional, physical, or mental well-being, including abuse, violent behavior, or being forced to do labor or chores inappropriate for their age.
