The Real Reform for ECD (RR4ECD)’s Right to Nutrition Campaign set to launch this November
Real Reform for ECD celebrates its most anticipated event of the year as it launches its Right to Nutrition Campaign this week.
“Since initiating research on the right to early childhood nutrition in late 2022, we’ve been eager to share our findings with our network of ECD practitioners—our Real Reformers—and other key partners and stakeholders,” say the launch organisers.
Event details
This much-anticipated event takes place at the Community Hall in Finetown, Johannesburg on 3 November. The First Lady, Dr Tshepo Motsepe will serve as the keynote speaker. The event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A session with Dr Granville Whittle, Deputy Director-General within the Department of Basic Education, authors of the research papers, and RR4ECD steering committee members.
About RR4ECD
RR4ECD is a broad-based alliance advocating for holistic, well-funded, inclusive, and quality early childhood development (ECD) services. It supports a broad network of over 600 practitioners and is backed by more than 200 organisations.
“Our call to action is clear,” explains Tshepo Mantje, Right to ECD Coordinator for RR4ECD. “We want the DBE to establish a national ECD nutrition programme that guarantees nutritious meals to all eligible children at all early learning programmes, regardless of their registration status”. The DBE has also expressed concern in this area and considers it a matter that requires urgent attention.
The Research
RR4ECD’s Right to Nutrition Campaign involves findings from three research teams that explored various aspects of nutrition for young children. The findings serve as the foundation of the campaign and will be discussed in detail during the launch event.
Join Us
This campaign launch is a pivotal moment to unite partners in addressing the alarming levels of childhood hunger and malnutrition.
For more information, visit RR4ECD’s website.
To attend the live virtual event, please RSVP here.
The Keynote
The First Lady, Dr Tshepo Motsepe.
The Panel
The panel discussion is intended to do a deeper dive into the research and gather perspectives
and responses from various stakeholders, including the researchers of the papers, the Department of Basic Education, ECD sector stakeholders like Research and Training Organisations (RTOs) and ECD practitioners. [Biographies of the panellists can be found here.]