Raising Roots has brought child development classes to Tari ya bana Creche in Zone 5 Pimville. Parents’€™ classes began in April, and are continuing at the Betty Brown Day Care Centre Meadowlands in May.

Lara Fredericksz, Raising Roots Communication Manager, said: ‘€œChildren do well when they are at an early childhood development centre but when they came back from holidays many of the children are sick and so their development is disturbed.’€

Messiah Madiba, an early childhood development practioner from Pimville said: ‘€œRaising Roots gives classes to parents to help them take care of their children’€™s health, particularly from birth to five years. ‘€

Moses Xaba, is a grandfather and foster parent to two boys younger than eight. He balances his parenting between his biological grandchildren and his adopted sons, and tries to guide and support them equally.

‘€œRaising Roots will help parents understand their children and know what is best for them, especially health wise,’€ said Xaba.

‘€œWe concentrate on the health and wellbeing of children,’€ said Fredericksz. ‘€œThe main objective is to balance these responsibilties between home and the early childhood development centre.’€

Kedibone Ndlovu, a mother from Meadowlands, said: ‘€œIt is not easy to raise a child, more especially being a single parent. Sometimes it happened that a parent is a working person, leaving home very early and coming back very late and exhausted.

‘€œThese parents have no choice but to depend on their families, relatives and neighbours to look after their children while they are at work. This makes it difficult for parents to understand their children’€™s health and development.’€ – OurHealth/Health-e News Service

Lungile Thamela  is an OurHealth Citizen Journalist reporting from the Central of Johannesburg district in Gauteng.