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REPORTING AGAINST THE STRATEGIC GOALS
5.1 Reduce Preventable Injuries
The goal is to reduce preventable injuries through mainstreaming child safety and injury prevention interventions . ChildSafe achieves this through awareness sessions , educational opportunities , and presenting at various fora .
• Distribution of Safety Equipment : We successfully distributed 1 028 safe candles and kettle straps , surpassing our target of 1 000 over the grant period . This initiative has significantly reduced the risk of burns and injuries in households , particularly in under-resourced communities .
• Home and Child Safety Counselling : ChildSafe managed 425 referrals for home- and child safety counselling and education , marking a 60 % increase from the previous year . This service provided crucial support and education to caregivers , enhancing the safety of children in their homes .
• Training and Education :
○ Early Childhood Development ( ECD ) Practitioners : ChildSafe trained 289 ECD practitioners , reaching 1 125 teachers and 643 support staff . This training indirectly benefited over 15 310 children , enhancing the safety and quality of early childhood education . Training sessions are held monthly and are a key component of ChildSafe ’ s operations .
○ ChildSafe ’ s ECD two-day training programme is funded by the Western Cape Education Department ( WCED ) ECD Directorate to support capacitybuilding initiatives within the ECD sector . The focus is on child- , home- , and poison safety as well as teaching road-safety awareness and interventions . The programme educates teachers and creates awareness of child injury prevention and health promotion . The training includes first aid training and is extremely well-received .
○ The ECD training programme sessions include a component on play-based learning , which encourages the use of recycled materials to craft lessons focusing on numeracy . The teachers learn from each other during the practical session , and they engage actively with fun and passion exuding from all participants .
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