A large pencil-shaped pod of tablets used for the Digital Pilot Literacy Project at Levana Primary School in Lavender Hill, Cape Town. South Africa has committed to eradicating child stunting by 2030, emphasising early childhood development as a national priority. (Photo: Gallo Images / Jeffrey Abrahams) /file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/label-Op-Ed.jpg)
During his State of the Nation Address 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed the importance of “the crucial first 1,000 days” and committed South Africa to ending child stunting by 2030 through strengthened nutrition interventions. In doing so, he placed early childhood development where it belongs, at the centre of our nation’s future.
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are not only a health window. They are a developmental foundation. They shape brain architecture, emotional security, learning potential and ultimately economic participation. If we are serious about reducing inequality and building inclusive growth, then we must begin where development truly starts — with parents and caregivers.
This is what aRe Bapaleng is all about.
aRe Bapaleng is a Sesotho phrase meaning “let’s play”. But it represents far more than play. It is the Seriti Institute’s flagship early childhood development programme, designed to close critical gaps in support for children aged up to eight in underserved communities. At its core, it recognises a simple but powerful truth: the primary influencers in a child’s life are not systems — they are parents and caregivers.
ECD Champions
Since 2020, aRe Bapaleng has empowered more than 135,000 parents and caregivers and activated more than 4,000 unemployed youth as ECD Champions across South Africa’s nine provinces. Grounded in the Nurturing Care Framework, the programme fosters responsive caregiving, play-based learning, and community resilience – resulting in healthier families, confident parents and thriving children.
In 2025, aRe Bapaleng achieved Quality Council For Trades & Occupations (QCTO) accreditation, strengthening formal pathways into early childhood development careers. The programme has expanded to include climate resilience, entrepreneurship and life skills – recognising that child wellbeing is inseparable from household stability and community sustainability. Parent Clubs and personalised home visits have deepened impact, reinforcing learning beyond workshops and ensuring that support is continuous rather than once-off.
Too often, conversations about stunting focus only on supplementation or clinical interventions. While these are essential, they are incomplete without empowered caregivers who understand that nutrition, stimulation, play, emotional regulation and safety shape children’s development. Responsive caregiving cannot be legislated into existence; it must be supported, nurtured and reinforced within communities.
Through Active Learning Workshops, home visits by trained Caregiver Networkers, community awareness campaigns and strengthened partnerships with ECD centres, aRe Bapaleng works to build a holistic support ecosystem around families. It equips caregivers with practical tools, confidence and knowledge – helping them turn everyday moments into opportunities for growth.
For example, a father in Modimolle, Limpopo, tells us that as a result of his participation in the aRe Bapaleng Programme he and his son introduced Wellness Wednesdays where they exercise together. Another parent in Orange Farm, Gauteng recalls how before aRe Bapaleng they were “clueless about nutrition”. In partnership with another Seriti Programme, Work.Learn.Grow, aRe Bapaleng also works with parents, caregivers and others in the community, e.g. ECDs to start food gardens. This has resulted in families introducing healthier foods in an affordable way.
Ending child stunting
Ending child stunting by 2030 will not be achieved through isolated interventions. It will require coordinated, community-level systems that integrate health, nutrition, early learning and caregiver empowerment. It will further require partnerships between the government, civil society and communities that move beyond compliance and toward collective responsibility.
Parents and caregivers are central to this, and we need to work closely with them as is underlined in the first-ever book on “Parental and Caregiver Involvement in South African Education”, featuring aRe aRe Bapaleng’s ecosystem approach, to be launched next week. The national commitment to prioritise the first 1,000 days is both timely and necessary. But it must translate into scalable, community-based systems that strengthen families before vulnerability becomes a crisis.
The first 1,000 days begin at home, with parents and caregivers as the first responders – building resilience, protecting potential, and shaping the future long before systems intervene.
If we invest in them, we do more than prevent stunting. We build a stronger, more equal SA, future-fit kids, one family, one community at a time. DM
Juanita Pardesi is the CEO of Seriti Institute, and leads aRe Bapaleng, a national programme that strengthens parents and caregivers, early learning, and the development of young children in underserved South African communities.
Getrude Mamabolo is a Communications and Content Officer at Seriti Institute, where she leverages strategic communication, stakeholder engagement and storytelling to strengthen development systems and amplify community impact.