Growing great with SA doc

One in four of South Africa’s children under the age of five are stunted – and stunting is completely preventable.

An interesting SA campaign that aims to empower new and pregnant moms to keep their children healthy has caught the eye of international philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

The campaign, called Grow Great, which was launched in 2018, is the brainchild of SA doctor and author Kopano Matlwa Mabaso, who wants to eliminate child stunting by 2030.

In his blog this week, Gates profiled Mabaso as part of his “heroes in the field” series and said he and his wife, Melinda, had seen many stunted children on their travels.

“Today, at age 34, Dr Matlwa Mabaso lives in Johannesburg and leads the Grow Great campaign, a sophisticated effort to eliminate child stunting from SA over the next decade.

“Sometimes we’re talking to a child who looks like one of our kids did at age three, only to be told that the child is actually six or seven years old. It’s heart-breaking and utterly preventable,” wrote Gates.

One in four of South Africa’s children under the age of five are stunted.

Stunting robs children from reaching their full potential and stunted children, on average, perform worse at school.

They are more likely to be unemployed as adults, are at higher risk of getting diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, and are vulnerable to being trapped in inter-generational cycles of poverty.

This is unjust, as stunting is completely preventable.

According to the campaign, it’s not surprising that the 2016 South African Demographic

Health Survey found that 27% of children under five are stunted.

A comparison with earlier surveys suggests that levels of stunting have not come down substantially over the past 20 years.

South Africa’s prevalence of stunting is far higher than one would expect for a country that ranks as the most food-secure country on the continent. It is much higher than its development counterparts Gabon, Ghana and Senegal, which rank lower than South Africa on the Global Food Security Index.

Malnutrition in the first five years of life not only costs children the opportunity to live full and productive lives as adults, but is also an underlying cause of mortality in the majority of infant deaths.

National dietary surveys estimate that 77% of children between the ages of six and 23 months do not receive a minimally acceptable diet and that 2.5-million children live below the food poverty line, because there is insufficient money in their households to cover the cost of their basic nutritional needs.

Using data to mobilise policy makers, stories to inspire the public, communities of practice to support community health workers and mom and baby classes to support parents, the Grow Great campaign seeks to galvanise South Africa towards a future where no child is unjustly denied the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The first 1 000 days of life are a key time for development and growth. Mothers and babies need good nutritious food, high-quality healthcare and clean and healthy environments to flourish and grow great.