Liz and I are back in South Africa, with Port Elizabeth our first stop.
The Infant Trust has been trying to get the Caring for Crèches programme off the ground in Eastern Cape for several months now, and have been wondering why little has happened after an initial burst of enthusiasm. We discovered that the Childline office in Eastern Cape is currently disengaging from Childline SA to become a stand-alone organisation. That may be the issue.
We headed into the townships where violence, unemployment, poverty, malnutrition and substance abuse are rife.
At one crèche 58 children, aged from 2 to 5 years, were crammed inside a small shack. It was like an oven inside yet no-one was playing in the small scrubby garden. It turned out the children were being kept indoors to avoid being shot; several gangs roam the streets and anyone can get caught in the crossfire.
Malnutrition was clear to see. There must have been half a dozen children with foetal alcohol syndrome. Then there were skin problems, what looks like TB lumps, terrible teeth and signs of rickets ... such a catalogue of health issues.
Another crèche took great pride in the fact that it was serving breakfast to its children. Terrific, until you hear that it is pap and water which fills the tummy but has no nutritional value at all.
And yet, remarkably, when we give out some sweets the children lined up good as gold chattering happily and treasuring their love hearts and slowly licking them to make the pleasure last as long as possible.
By the time we returned to the Childline offices we were in no doubt the lives of many vulnerable children would be greatly enhanced by starting the Caring for Crèches programme in Eastern Cape.
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