EARLY childhood development is one of the most crucial investments a country can make towards securing its long-term prosperity and supporting every citizen to reach their full potential. According to the National Development Plan (NDP), “improving early nutrition has been shown to increase school attainment by up to one grade and adult earnings by 40%”.
Yet, the recent South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council found 21.6% of children under the age of five year are stunted, as are 26% of boys and 25% of girls aged one to three years.