Grootswem: Swimming to prevent stuntin

Make a difference in an undernourished child’s life right now, by donating to the Ruby Sunrise Foundation. Just R70 feeds a child for a month, with nutrient-rich porridge that fills their tummies and feeds their futures. Bank deets at the end of this post.

Most of a child’s physical, mental, and psychological development - including 90% of brain development - takes place before the age of 5. But when a growing child doesn’t get enough proper nutrients in the first 2000 days of their lives, they are left with physical and mental deficits that they will never recover from.

The medical term for this is ‘child stunting’. The World Health Organization defines stunting as ‘impaired growth and development from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation’. And here’s the horrible reality: Almost 1 in every 4 South African children is considered stunted.

Stunting is irreversible. Once a child is stunted, they’ll be behind their peers on every level for the rest of their lives.

But, it’s 100% preventable.

That’s why for the past couple of years, I’ve joined a group of slightly crazy people on a 7.5 km swim from Robben Island to the coast of Blouberg. It’s called the GrootSwem, and its sole purpose is to raise funds and awareness for the issue of childhood stunting.

The waters are icy. And the currents are tough. But we can warm up and rest after the swim. For children who suffer from stunting, there’s no recovery.

I’m not asking you to go and swim 7.5 km in freezing waters. What I am asking is for you to work together with us to address childhood stunting.

More info on stunting can be found at http://www.inaniswf.org/

Donation deets:

Ruby Sunrise Foundation NPC

Bank: FNB

Account no: 63036556835

Branch code: 210554

Swift code: FIRNZAJJ

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