Through the Hands-on Learning publication, we hope to play a helpful role in synthesising information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learnt so that others can draw from and build on their experiences.
The long and short of stunting in South Africa: Why understanding the problem is important for policy change
Over a quarter of under-fives in South Africa are too short for their age — and the figure has been hovering around the same level for about three decades. But stunting is more than a growth problem; it’s also a developmental challenge. In February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa opened a critical window to kickstart real action in improving how children grow, calling stunting “a massive crisis that demands attention and resources”. This type of clear political commitment is needed for policy change, as evidenced by countries like Peru and Indonesia, which have both brought down stunting rates significantly in less than a decade.
This learning brief is the first in an issue dedicated to unpacking the challenges of — and opportunities for — fixing early childhood nutrition, and looks at what multidisciplinary research tells us about the underlying complexities around stunting in South Africa.
To read this learning brief, download a PDF, or read it magazine-style on ISSUU.
Preventing stunting starts in the womb: Why investing in the first 1 000 days of a child’s life is the best time to nip stunting in the bud
Given the urgency with which South Africa has to deal with the massive crisis of stunting, it’s important to focus strategically on interventions that can quickly lower stunting rates, such as those specifically targeting children’s nutrition status in early life. Starting in the first 1 000 days of a child’s life — the period from conception to two years of age — is a powerful lever, as it can break the compounding effects of poor growth in the womb, suboptimal breastfeeding and not having enough nutritious food from six months old, when babies typically start eating solids.
This learning brief looks at four practical interventions to fast-track action on stunting in the first 1 000 days and how they can work together to move the needle, based on evidence about the drivers of stunting and where efforts to curb chronic malnutrition are falling short. But every one of these interventions rests on the same foundation: families being able to reach nutritious food in the first place — the focus of the next brief.
To read this learning brief, download a PDF, or read it magazine-style on ISSUU.
Making the most of a good start: How to help families get all the nutrients they need
Even the best-targeted interventions in the first 1 000 days rest on something more basic — families being able to get nutritious food onto the plate, day after day. And this is where many households hit a wall. The nutrient-dense diets young children need, with enough protein and all the vitamins and minerals for healthy growth, depend on foods that are often out of financial reach. Protein-rich foods, fresh vegetables and fruit tend to cost more than staples like maize and cereals, or the nutrient-poor ultra-processed foods that fill the gap. The Child Support Grant is a vital poverty alleviation tool, and more children draw on it every year, yet South Africa’s stunting rate has barely shifted. That tells us the early-life window can only do so much on its own: we also need to widen the lens from the individual child to the household around them, and tackle what makes nutritious food unaffordable in the first place.
This third brief in the series looks at broad interventions that lift a whole household’s nutritional status — making nutritious food cheaper through retail subsidies, fortifying staple foods at scale and helping families grow their own.
To read this learning brief, download a PDF, or read it magazine-style on ISSUU.
Read the complete issue below magazine-style on ISSUU – choose full-screen mode [ ] for a better reading experience. Download the complete Hands-on Learning publication (Issue 34) as a PDF.
