A better life for all

Behind the busy school yards and the smile of a grandmother with her grant money in her wrinkled hands lies the complex, time-consuming and often invisible work of creating the right conditions for a better life for all. Despite the remarkable progress, crushing poverty still affects many African children. Around 68 per cent of children from poor families live well below the international ‘dollar-a-day’ poverty line (General Household Survey 2006).

Living standards and race are closely intertwined, with poverty concentrated among black South Africans. A fifth of the working force is unemployed and the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow. The government delivers basic social services against great odds.

HIV-related illnesses are responsible for a significant proportion of deaths among children and women. There are no signs that children’s nutritional status has changed significantly over the past decade – one in ten children are underweight.

The majority of school-aged children are enrolled in primary school and there are now almost as many girls in school as boys. The public education system however struggles to deliver quality education. Many schools in townships and rural areas do not have electricity, running water, toilets, sports fields, materials and quality teaching. Learners and teachers report high levels of school violence and gender-based abuse. Gender-based violence and abuse against children and women are widespread.