UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, a reimagined future.
South Africa, a country of contrast and diversity. As one child sets off to school, dressed in a crisp new uniform and polished shoes, another knocks on a car window at a traffic light, asking for money. As one child rises to prepare for school, another has already been walking for three hours to get there on time. As one sick child is given medical attention in time, another dies on the back of their mother who arrived at a health clinic too late.
A country where children have equal rights under the Constitution, but where the worlds into which they are born and their opportunities in life are very unequal. While the rights of children are progressively and clearly defined, ensuring that these rights are fulfilled for every child in the context of deep-seated inequality, remains a pressing challenge.
Relief from poverty and access to health care, education and a safe environment are issues that millions of children face in South Africa every day. Despite significant progress made in improving the well-being of children, the implementation of laws, policies and programmes remains uneven and millions of the country's most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized children continue to be left behind. Depending largely on where children live, the quality of services that they can access also varies drastically.
While there have been advances made in the provision of services and access to all children in South Africa, the need for a sustained and targeted response to the following challenges remains urgent:
- more than half the children in South Africa continue to live below the poverty line (Child Gauge, 2019);
- one third of girls experience some form of violence before the age of 18 (Optimus study 2016); and
- some two-thirds of children eligible for early childhood development (ECD) programmes do not have access to them.
How can you make a difference?
Under the general guidance of the supervisor, the incumbent is responsible for providing technical support to the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all stages of social policy programing and related advocacy from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable results. This includes programmes aimed at improving (a) public policies to reduce child poverty; (b) social protection coverage and impact on children; (c) the transparency, adequacy, equity and efficiency of child-focused public investments and financial management; and (d) governance, decentralization and accountability measures to increase the public participation of children in the budget process and the quality, equity and coverage of social services. This encompasses both direct programme work with government and civil society partners as well as linkages and support to teams working on education, health, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
1. Improving data on child poverty & vulnerability for increased use for policy and programme action
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