South Africa has reached a defining moment—one that asks every citizen, every leader, every sector, and every community to stand together for the country’s youngest and most vulnerable. With Cabinet officially approving the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC), President Cyril Ramaphosa is calling on the nation to rally behind a bold new vision for the wellbeing of children and teenagers.
This landmark strategy arrives at a time when global and national urgency for children’s rights is gathering unprecedented momentum. It follows shortly after the G20 Social Summit, where South African children themselves handed over the Civil Society Declaration—a historic plea to mainstream, sustain, and expand investment in child wellbeing. The NSAAC now becomes the domestic engine to drive those commitments forward, while also supporting the work of the Global Leaders Network (GLN) on the Promotion of Women’s, Newborn, Child, and Adolescents’ Wellbeing, chaired by President Ramaphosa.
And at the heart of this national effort lies a simple but profound campaign: Hold My Hand.
A campaign built with children.
A strategy built for their future.
A call built for all of us.
Ten Priorities That Can Transform a Generation
The NSAAC outlines ten clear, measurable priorities that—when implemented at scale—can dramatically shift the trajectory of child and adolescent wellbeing in South Africa:
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Strengthen families and ensure parents and caregivers can support their children.
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Reduce infant and child deaths, ensuring more children survive and thrive.
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Eliminate HIV transmission from mothers to babies.
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Improve child nutrition, tackling malnutrition and stunting.
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Boost early learning and language development, growing children’s brain power.
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Prevent disability and ensure equal opportunities for children with disabilities.
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Protect children and adolescents from abuse, violence, injuries, and harmful substances.
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Improve adolescent access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health.
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Increase participation in quality education and training, and connect school-leavers to work.
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Strengthen adolescents’ identity, agency, and connectedness.
These priorities are not abstract hopes—they are the nation’s roadmap. They strengthen existing programmes across government, while demanding partnership from every corner of society. And the NSAAC goes further by detailing ten high-impact interventions that must be expanded to accelerate progress.
“Hold My Hand”: A Campaign Built with Children, for Children
Supported by Government Communication and Information Services (GCIS) and civil society partners, Hold My Hand is a spirited national campaign developed with children and teenagers—those who live the reality this strategy is designed to change.
The campaign carries a powerful truth:
If every child born today, tomorrow, and the next had enough love, food, safety, and brain power, South Africa’s growth trajectory would be transformed.
Over the next decade, these investments would help build safer communities, stronger families, healthier adolescents, and a more equitable economy—breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and inequality.
The Constitution demands this.
Our future depends on it.
Children Are Leading the Call
Nowhere is this momentum more visible than in young leaders like 18-year-old Bontle Motatsa, elected by children to represent them during consultations on the NSAAC.
Her words are the heartbeat of this movement:
“We, the children and adolescents of South Africa, deserve a seat at the table… a voice on our own destiny. We implore you to capitalise on our presence, passion and potential. Together, we can create a future that is brighter, more just, more equitable for all. Together we can create a South Africa where peace and prosperity for all is a reality and not just rhetoric.”
Her message is clear, courageous, and undeniable.
Children are not waiting to be saved—they are stepping forward to shape their own future.
The President has encouraged the entire nation to honour this call.
Critical Areas for Accelerated Action
The NSAAC identifies specific areas where immediate, intensified collaboration is essential:
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Reducing low birth weight and nutritional stunting
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Supporting young parents to improve early language and learning
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Strengthening efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm
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Expanding early screening for hearing and vision challenges
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Deepening engagement with teenagers to build identity, agency, and connectedness
Government will review and resource these interventions through established regulatory and budget processes. However, there is also explicit recognition that civil society and the private sector play equally crucial roles in design, delivery, and long-term sustainability.
Hold My Hand becomes the bridge—connecting children, parents, teachers, professionals, government, and private partners in one unified movement.
A Future Built Together
South Africa has been given a rare opportunity: a national strategy backed by Cabinet, shaped by children, aligned with global commitments, and supported by the President.
Now, the call is simple:
Hold their hands.
Walk with them.
Build with them.
The nation’s children have spoken.
Now it is our turn to answer.
Find out more at: www.holdmyhand.org.za
Contact: info@holdmyhand.org.za
