Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille
City invests in the health and development of children
Note to editors: Mayor De Lille visited the Dora Tamane Enrichment Centre in
Khayelitsha today to raise awareness about keeping children safe during the
peak diarrhoea season.
The heatwave conditions experienced in our city during the last month put us
all at risk of physical illness such as diarrhoea. This is dangerous and possibly
even fatal for the most vulnerable in society: our children. It is very important
that we make every effort to ensure their safety, especially during February
and April, which is considered the peak diarrhoea risk period.
Today I visited the Dora Tamane Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre
in Khayelitsha and spent some time with the children and staff at this facility
to raise awareness about the danger that our children are exposed to during
this time. This facility is a bastion of excellence and truly demonstrates our
commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to spend their
formative years educated in a caring environment.
I spoke to the young ones and demonstrated how hand-washing with soap
and water is highly effective in preventing the spread of diarrhoea. Making
sure that all bottles and cups are thoroughly washed and sterilised with
boiling water are additional measures which can prevent diarrhoea. Keeping
bins clean and covered, and not participating in illegal dumping is key in
preventing the spread of diarrhoea, but also other health risks.
We had City Health staff on site to check the immunisation status of the
children, which includes their Vitamin A and deworming status.
I would like to appeal to parents to look out for diarrhoea symptoms such a
dry mouth, a dry tongue and lips, sunken eyes, weakness, irritability or
lethargy. Symptoms of severe dehydration in children include: drowsiness,
pale or mottled skin, cold hands or feet, very few wet nappies and fast,
shallow breathing. If your child has any of these symptoms, please take them
to the nearest clinic or community health centre where staff will ensure that
their care will be fast-tracked.
I also inspected the outstanding food garden that has been cared for by
seven community members. The City provided spades, rake, hosepipes,
water tanks and an irrigation system. The food harvested is used to feed the
children and make sure that all of their nutritional needs are being met.
Through their hard work, they are also able to feed 33 members of their
immediate families and run a soup kitchen which supports 102
disadvantaged residents. Surplus vegetables are donated to the tuberculosis,
HIV and Aids patients and elderly people from the day hospital.
We have prioritised our commitment to providing excellent ECD facilities for
private operators to access in order to give our sons and daughters the best
head-start for their futures. Since 2011, we have spent R24,3 million on ECD
projects, with an additional R14,1 million to be spent in this financial year. We
are also investing in ECD staff through training, which includes accredited
first-aid courses, child wellness and nutrition and organisational development.
We aim to assist 200 ECDs to become compliant and registered through
providing them with resources such as first-aid kits, learning materials,
blankets, and mattresses. Today I also distributed basic hygiene kits to each
of the children at Dora Tamane. These kits include facecloths, soap,
toothbrushes and toothpaste, nail clippers and a hairbrush. This will be
distributed to all of our ECD centres across the City of Cape Town.
I would like to thank each and every parent who has been working with us to
lay the foundation for freedom, fairness and opportunity. I would like to
appeal to all parents to enrol their children in registered ECDs if they have not
done so yet. We remain committed to this project which is one the earliest
interventions we can make to build safer and stronger communities.