2022 Aänit Prize Winner and the DO MORE FOUNDATION celebrate nationwide impact of EAT LOVE PLAY TALK programme on ECD outcomes for South Africa’s children

A year on from winning the prestigious Mandela Rhodes Foundation Äänit Prize, Dr Jessica Ronaasen, National Programmes Lead at the DO MORE FOUNDATION (DMF), and key partners have uplifted 42 early childhood development (ECD) centres in six vulnerable communities across South Africa through the parent education programme EAT LOVE PLAY TALK (ELPT).

In September 2022, Dr Ronaasen along with three other Mandela Rhodes Scholar alumni, received the Aänit Prize, which recognises projects that have strong potential to deliver meaningful social impact for Africa’s most marginalised populations. In the case of Dr Ronaasen and the DMF, this funding was channelled into the newly created parent education programme ELPT.

As highlighted by Dr Ronaasen, this is because: “The funding support we were awarded as part of the Aänit Prize along with the JD Group contribution enabled scale of our EAT LOVE PLAY TALK programme into new communities and new ECD sites. We are seeing a flood of positive outcomes ranging from improved nutrition in lunch boxes to meal planning and parents/caregivers increased involvement in their children’s day. For children to thrive they need to grow in environments that provide responsive caregiving, nutritious meals, and early learning through play.”

As a backbone organisation championing food security for improved ECD outcomes in South Africa, the DMF understands the important role of parents/caregivers in addressing the challenge of hunger and malnutrition in communities. It does so by partnering with multi-sectoral organisations that support the delivery of ELPT train-the-trainer sessions, which build the skills of ECD principals and practitioners to speak about nutrition and play with parents/caregivers in their local communities.

In addition to the six community sites, DMF has implemented the programme in several business sites; particularly noteworthy is the expansion of the nutrition leader component into South African communities with the Seriti Institute. Since March, the DMF and Seriti Institute partnership has resulted in five cohorts with 370 nutrition leaders from the Work.Grow.Learn, aRe Bapaleng and the National Youth Service Programme being empowered to confidently deliver nutrition and play messages in their local communities through the ELPT programme.

According to Dr Ronaasen: “The time has never been more relevant for nutrition and public health messages to reach families and communities and mean something to them. Caregivers want to do right by their children, and it is wonderful to see the way local leaders are becoming champions of nutrition messages in their communities.”

According to a report released by Statistics South Africa, 23.6% of South Africans in 2020 were affected by moderate to severe food insecurity, while 14,9% experienced severe food insecurity. A report by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group indicates that this is compounded by the country’s R480 child support grant being 28% below the food poverty line of R663 and 43% below the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet.

Through national programmes like ELPT, visionary leaders like Dr Ronaasen, and a network of over 260 partners, the DMF works towards improved food insecurity, curbing malnutrition and uplifting the lives of South Africa’s young children. The first cohort of ELPT facilitators will be awarded a certificate once all seven sessions are completed at the end of this year.