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The National Interagency Working (NIAWG) group on Unaccompanied, Separated and Migrant Children in South Africa would like to commend the Government of South Africa for its stance towards curbing and reducing the spread of COVID-19. The NIAWG would like to take this opportunity to emphasise that in its response the Government of South Africa should ensure that all children regardless of their country of origin or immigration status are protected and included in light of the unique impact of the declaration of a State of Disaster on vulnerable children.

Save the Children warns that the global COVID-19 pandemic threatens to devastate children’s health and education, and cause unprecedented protection needs. In South Africa is appealing for R10 million, as part of the global appeal of $100 million. The amount is needed to urgently keep children and their families safe during the global COVID-19 outbreak, the most serious threat to global health and security in modern times.

School closings, sick friends and family members, isolation at home – these and other factors can cause anxiety and stress for children during this COVID-19 outbreak. As a child rights-based organisation, we’re sharing these drama-based relaxation exercises.

On Sunday (15 March 2020), President Cyril Ramaphosa declared COVID-19 a national disaster. In the wake of this, Save the Children South Africa offices across the country will close temporarily. This closure comes into effect today, 16 March 2020 until further notice.

For the first time ever those working across Africa, in the interests of protecting children’s legal rights, are to be recognised at the annual African Legal Awards taking place in Johannesburg on September 4.

Zimbabwe’s worsening food crisis is forcing children to eat only once a day and walk for hours across dry rocky terrain to collect water, according to Save the Children. The agency is warning that without a major increase in the humanitarian response in Zimbabwe, lives will be lost as children and their families adopt more extreme coping mechanisms to survive.

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) is saddened by the gruesome discovery of the body of eight-year-old Tazne van Wyk, in a storm water pipe outside Worcester. Tazne went missing in Elsies River, almost two weeks ago. We send our heartfelt condolences to her family.

Save the Children calls on South Africa to use its non-permanent seat at the United Nations’ Security Council and its African Union Chairmanship to push for the protection of children affected by armed conflict.

Empathy is a funny thing. Every day, almost all of us in South Africa find ourselves weighing whether we can or should do something to help others. That’s part of living in the most unequal society in the world, where wealth exists just across the highway from poverty.