In an ideal world, children can dream and let their imaginations run wild; the opportunities and possibilities are endless. However, this is not the reality for every South African child. When reviewing the statistics surrounding vulnerable children, you will realise that a vulnerable child, among the millions of children in our country, has a one in four chance at success with just education alone. *
Feeling and being safe is not only a child’s right but is essential for their development, contributes to positive childhood experiences, enables a more successful journey into adulthood and a greater chance of breaking the cycle of poverty. Relief from poverty and access to health care, education and a safe environment are issues that millions of children face in South Africa every day resulting in too many children not able to reach their full potential. Despite significant progress made in improving the well-being of children, vulnerable and marginalised children continue to be left behind, and depending on where they live, the quality of services that they can access also varies drastically. In an effort to create safe environments for children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in South Africa partners with the Department of Social Development to create Safe Parks, safe spaces across the country where vulnerable children can go to learn, play and receive health, nutrition and other essential care while being supervised and nurtured by a wide range of professionals and caregivers. The Safe Parks form part of the nationwide ‘Risiha Programme’, a community-based child protection approach.
UNICEF works to protect the rights of and improve the well-being of every child to survive and thrive in life.
Momentum Insure has partnered with UNICEF South Africa to build on their long-term goal of being the credible champion of safety. The company’s ‘Science of Safety’ is a deep dive into human behaviour to uncover and convert a state of ‘keeping’ safe into a state of ‘feeling’ safe. “Safety is a holistic concept for us at Momentum Insure. We believe that a sense of certainty, when it comes to safety, can convert concern into confidence. Through our partnership with UNICEF South Africa, we want to make South Africa a safer place for everyone, starting with our children. Our goal is to create more than 400 safe places through the Safe Parks initiative,” says Shweshwe Tlhapane, Chief Marketing Officer at Momentum Insure. The company aims to help create and grow safe spaces for underprivileged South African communities who need them most.
Their partnership with UNICEF South Africa is also their commitment to bringing “The Science of Safety” to those most in need of the power of feeling safe. “We believe that safety ignites confidence on your journey to success and goes beyond just keeping you and your belongings safe. We want South Africans, especially our vulnerable children, to feel safe. Safety should be the norm and when we achieve this, we will empower children to imagine and define their success,” says Tlhapane.
“Securing the future of the young members of our society is not just one individual’s or organisation’s responsibility, it requires all of us to play our part and invest in our children, the future leaders of our country,” concludes Tlhapane.
