The late President Nelson Mandela said: “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.” There can be no truer words than that.
The North West University (NWU) believes strongly in the rights of our children, and will host the annual Child Health Priorities Conference for the first time this year. The conference, now in its 10th year, is the preeminent platform where child health practitioners, academics and advocates can engage on the successes and challenges children in South Africa face.
The conference will take place from 28 to 30 November on the campus in Potchefstroom and is themed “Survive, thrive and transform – championing change for children”.
Dr Tshepo Motsepe, South Africa’s first lady and patron of the South African Civil Society for Women’s, Adolescents’ and Children’s Health (SACSoWACH), will open the event.
This year’s conference will offer a multisectoral and a multidisciplinary programme with speakers from government, academia and NGOs.
The list of impressive speakers includes Dr Yogan Pillay, the deputy director for strategic programmes in the National Department of Health, Prof Linda Richter, distinguished professor at the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development at the University of Witswatersrand, and Dr Tracey Naledi, chairperson of the Tekano Board.
“We are super proud to be hosting this conference for the first time,” says Chantell Witten, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences and chair of the local organising committee.
“This event aptly brings to our attention the demands and gains the radical improvement of the lives of children in South Africa holds. What makes this year’s event even more special is the fact that we are also celebrating 30 years of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child, 25 years of democracy in South Africa, and the countdown to the last decade of the National Development Plan, 2012-2030,” she adds.
For more information about the conference and on how to register, please visit the following web page: http://health-sciences.nwu.ac.za/chpc-2019
