South Africa's social grant helps children grow, but is it sustainable?

By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's system of cash grants for children in poor households shows that a little money goes a long way, resulting in bigger, healthier kids who do better in school. The system, one of the most extensive of its kind in the developing world, now covers 11 million recipients - which means that more than half of South Africa's children qualify because their parents' annual income does not exceed 74,400 rand ($7,000) and they live in extreme poverty. As debt levels rise and economic growth slows, this raises questions about how sustainable the programme is, even as the government discusses raising the age limit to 23 from 18 because many in that age group remain poor and vulnerable in a country where youth unemployment tops 50 percent. Expanding the grant might be sustainable because of relatively low debt levels and given current demographics, but the costs could rise sharply if slow economic growth pushes more families into poverty.

via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News http://ift.tt/1odXKll