HANDS-ON Experience Learning July 2026 | Issue 34
OPPORTUNITY
5
Stop nutritional stunting of young children
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 what President Cyril Ramaphosa called “a massive crisis” in his State of the Nation Address in February 2026, 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, the second in a series focused on childhood nutrition, 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.
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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
Issue 34 /// July 2026