SAFM Interview: Will a new Minister of Social Development move to implement the maternal support grant a reality?
Speaking to SAFM, DGMT’s Communications Director, Rahima Essop, made the case for a Maternal Support Grant — temporary income support that helps pregnant women access nutritious food, healthcare, and antenatal care in the months that shape a baby’s future. On behalf of the MSG Advocacy Coalition, she argued that the grant could reduce low birth […]
Cape Talk Interview: Will the appointment of Dina Pule as Minister of Social Development make the maternal support grant a reality?
Speaking to Cape Talk this week, Hold My Hands Nutrition Strategy Lead, Liezel Engelbrecht, made the case for a Maternal Support Grant: temporary income support to help pregnant women access nutritious food, healthcare and antenatal care when it counts most. Speaking on behalf of the MSG Advocacy Coalition, she argued the grant could cut low […]
The Perspectives Series: The role of municipalities in building children’s brain power
Ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections, join us for a conversation on what it takes to build child-friendly communities. Municipalities play an important role in shaping the environments where young children grow, learn and thrive. This webinar explores how local government can make it easier for early learning programmes to register and operate, helping […]
IOL Article: Calls intensify for a Maternal Support Grant as budget window opens
A COALITION of health, child welfare and anti-poverty organisations is urging the government to fund a proposed Maternal Support Grant (MSG), arguing that supporting women during pregnancy could play an important role in South Africa’s mission to end childhood stunting. The call comes ahead of a key budget planning deadline on Friday, when government departments […]
TygerBurger Article: Coalition pushes for R2 billion maternal grant ahead of budget deadline
A growing coalition of non-governmental organisations and researchers is calling on the South African government to fund a proposed Maternal Support Grant (MSG) — a time-bound cash grant for pregnant women living in poverty — before a critical budget window closes this Friday, 26 June 2026. The MSG Advocacy Coalition comprises 15 organisations, including Embrace, […]
IOL Article: The Maternal Support Grant under the economic spotlight
An economist has raised a red flag on the proposal to introduce a Maternal Support Grant (MSG) for pregnant women from poor families so that they can afford to eat healthy food and give birth to healthy babies. University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) economist Dr Simiso Msomi believes the MSG would have unintended consequences, encouraging women, […]
Cape Talk Interview: A budget window for the Maternal Support Grant
Julie Mentor, Project Lead at Embrace, the Movement for Mothers, spoke to Cape Talk to make the case for a Maternal Support Grant — temporary income support for pregnant women living in poverty, to help them access nutritious food, healthcare and antenatal services during the months that matter most. Speaking on behalf of the MSG […]
NWU Article: Mothers need more support to breastfeed
South Africa has among the most progressive infant feeding policies in the world. The Tshwane Declaration of 2011, signed by ministers, MECs, traditional leaders, and representatives from the World Health Organization and UNICEF, committed the country to protecting exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life. The R991 Regulations of 2012 imposed strict […]
MEDIA STATEMENT: Will the Maternal Support Grant be funded in the mission to end stunting?
Friday marks the first deadline for government departments to secure funding for priorities over the next three years, which the Minister of Finance outlines in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement later this year. This is a window of opportunity to finance strategies in the mission to end stunting such as a Maternal Support Grant (MSG) for […]
The Telegraph Article: Can this cheap pill end stunting?
A couple of years’ malnutrition for a tiny child can echo for a lifetime. If children are starved of nutrients while growing in the womb, or as infants and toddlers, they can grow up not only shorter, but also less mentally developed. Studies have found that means they are more likely to do worse at […]