Latest news with #SantaShoeboxProject
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Preschoolers are still without water to wash their hands
Too many South African children are unable to wash their hands as only 53% of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres have piped water, electricity, and flushing toilets, while 8% have none at all. This is because, despite a record R210 million government pledge to upgrade these centres over the next two years, basic infrastructure remains severely lacking. Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project, warns that South Africa risks undermining the lifesaving power of handwashing unless urgent steps are taken to ensure access to clean, safe water in early learning spaces. 'Children constantly touch surfaces and objects, picking up germs as they go,' she explains. 'Without proper hand hygiene, those germs can lead to dangerous illnesses like diarrhoea and respiratory infections - two of the leading causes of death among South Africa's under-fives. Handwashing with soap can cut diarrhoea rates by up to 40% and respiratory infections by up to 25%.' Beyond health concerns, Zelezniak highlights the deeper developmental consequences: 'Research shows that poor water and sanitation infrastructure hinders a child's cognitive, language, and motor development, with long-term effects on their educational attainment.' While efforts to register and upgrade ECD centres are underway, many facilities remain stuck in a vicious cycle. 'Centres that can't afford the water and sanitation improvements needed for registration are locked out of the very funding that could help them upgrade,' she says. 'Instead, they rely on rainwater tanks, boreholes, or public taps- none of which guarantee consistency or safety.' Non-profits like the Santa Shoebox Project are working to renovate centres and promote better hygiene practices, but Zelezniak stresses that systemic change is essential. 'This is not just a public health issue, it's a matter of dignity, education, and the country's long-term development. Supporting ECD owners to meet registration standards must be a national priority.' 'No child should fall sick or die simply because there was no water to wash their hands,' concludes Zelezniak. Nasreen Badrodien I Santa Shoebox Project
The Star
04-05-2025
- General
- The Star
No books, no future: The cost of neglecting early childhood literacy
Deb Zelezniak | Published 2 hours ago Can a nation thrive if its youngest citizens grow up without books? The answer should be obvious. Yet in South Africa, more than 40% of households have no books at all. The situation is just as troubling within early childhood development (ECD) centres, where 61% have fewer than 10 books available, and only 56% provide age-appropriate reading materials across different age groups. Access to books in early childhood is not a 'nice-to-have' - it's the very foundation of all future learning and development. But we are failing our children - a fact made painfully clear by the now all-too-familiar statistics: 80% of Grade 3 learners cannot read for meaning, and the country ranked last out of 57 nations in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) . Behind these numbers are millions of children growing up without the most basic tools for learning - not just books, but the chance to hear stories and connect words to ideas. This lack of exposure robs them of far more than literacy: it stunts their cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial development. Children who miss out on these foundational experiences are more likely to fall behind academically, drop out of school, and face greater vulnerability to poverty and economic exclusion later in life. No one expects a child under five to read independently. But this vital developmental window - from birth to five - is when children learn how to learn. They must begin to explore books, listen to stories, and recognise that symbols on a page represent sounds, meanings, and imaginative worlds far beyond their own. These early encounters with books build essential life skills, from critical thinking and emotional regulation to numeracy, empathy, problem-solving, and creativity. As importantly, they nurture a lifelong love of reading. Without this foundation, children begin their academic journey at a disadvantage. For many, that gap only widens as they move through the system. Book Dash notes that even a single book can dramatically improve a child's school readiness compared to peers who have none. The good news is that this is a solvable problem. Civil society is already responding. Organisations like the Santa Shoebox Project have installed more than 220 reading corners in ECD centres around South Africa, creating inviting, book-filled spaces where children can develop a positive association with reading. But these efforts, while impactful, are only scratching the surface. Scaling such solutions will require broader support, particularly from the government and the private sector. Encouragingly, the recent national budget speech included promises of increased support for the ECD sector. It's a step in the right direction, but also long overdue . Decades of underfunding mean that properly resourcing and registering ECD centres - let alone filling them with relevant, multilingual books – remains a major challenge. Whether this new funding will directly improve access to books is still unclear. If we're serious about addressing South Africa's literacy crisis, we must stop treating it as a problem that begins in school. It starts long before then. By ensuring every child has access to books from the earliest years, we can nurture not only readers but thinkers, dreamers, and doers. The building blocks are simple. The return on investment is life-changing. The time to act is now. Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project
IOL News
02-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
NGO warns that lack of water threatens young lives ahead of Hand Hygiene Day
NGO warns that lack of clean water in ECD centres puts children's lives and development at risk, as many are forced to rely on unsafe alternatives for handwashing. As World Hand Hygiene Day nears on May 5, a sobering warning has been issued regarding South Africa's continued struggle with providing fundamental water and sanitation services in early learning centres. This shortfall not only jeopardises the health of our youngest children but also threatens their development, leaving them vulnerable to illness and long-term setbacks. According to the Santa Shoebox Project, only 53% of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres in South Africa have access to piped water, electricity, and flushing toilets. Even more alarming, 8% of these centres operate without any of these essential services. 'This is not just a public health issue, it's a matter of dignity, education, and the country's long-term development,' said Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project. 'No child should fall sick or die simply because there was no water to wash their hands.'
The Citizen
23-04-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Over 2 in 5 households don't own a single book
Thousands of children enter formal schooling without the foundational literacy skills needed for success. Research from the World Literacy Foundation shows that children who lack early literacy skills are more likely to fall behind and face long-term educational challenges. The research shows that despite government's recognition of early childhood development (ECD) as crucial to reversing South Africa's literacy crisis, meaningful action has been delayed by three decades. Although the seventh administration has reaffirmed its focus on early childhood literacy, these commitments remain largely unfulfilled due to a lack of funding. 'Operating a compliant ECD programme costs nearly five times the per-learner subsidy, leaving many centres without sufficient resources,' explains Deb Zelezniak, CEO of the Santa Shoebox Project. 'Currently, 61% of ECD centres have fewer than 10 books for children, and only 56% provide age-appropriate reading materials.' The lack of access to books extends beyond ECD centres, with over 40% of South African households having no books at all. According to the Department of Basic Education and Unifec South Africa, this means many children enter Grade One without ever having held a book. 'While the R99m allocated over the Medium-term Expenditure Framework for early grade reading initiatives is a step in the right direction, we need immediate action. The urgency of South Africa's literacy crisis cannot be overstated,' stresses Zelezniak. In response, non-profits like the Santa Shoebox Project are stepping in to bridge the gap by installing reading corners in ECD centres, providing children with the essential resources they need to develop literacy skills. These spaces are filled with age-appropriate books, and children can engage with stories on their own or with a caregiver. To date, the organisation has installed over 220 reading corners in facilities around the country. Caregivers are also trained on how to incorporate books into the learning experience in ways that support ECD milestones. Between the ages of two and five, for example, these include pointing to objects in a book, turning pages independently, and beginning to grasp basic grammar concepts. Ultimately, these are the building blocks that help children read, write, communicate and connect with others – giving them a strong start at school and setting the stage for lifelong learning. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
