Source: UNICEF South Africa |

New podcast series reflects on childhood in South Africa through and beyond COVID-19

‘Phezulu: Looking Up’ a new eight-part podcast series released today features the stories of the impact of the COVID-19 years on children and youth and the ongoing response to accelerate the recovery for every child – for everyone

Children and adolescents were affected by every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and this podcast series tells their stories of resilience

PRETORIA, South Africa, June 2, 2023/APO Group/ --

The ‘Phezulu: Looking Up’ podcast series launched today by UNICEF South Africa (https://www.UNICEF.org/southafrica/) tells the stories of the impact of the COVID-19 years on children and young people and how,with the right support and opportunities, children and young people are determined to build a safer, fairer and better post pandemic South Africa.  

The eight-part series delves into issues such as mental wellbeing, disrupted education and access to child healthcare; including routine childhood immunizations, through the voices of children and young people and experts working to mitigate the impact.

Children and adolescents were affected by every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and this podcast series tells their stories of resilience,” said Muriel Mafico, UNICEF South Africa Deputy Representative. “Importantly, the episodes also reflect on the response to share learnings, including how the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine saved countless lives and re-opened our world,”

The podcast series features expert analysis and voices, including contributions from academics, all of whom continue to play a critical role in the ongoing recovery for every child. The series not only highlights the indirect impact of COVID-19 on children and youth, but also how COVID-19 vaccinations changed the trajectory of the crisis by enabling children and adolescents to resume their childhoods.

The series will be available on a weekly basis, on all major podcast platforms from 23rd May 2023. Listeners can now subscribe and join the conversation. This production was made possible thanks to the generous support of the German Federal Foreign Office and other partners.

For more information, please see the following links:
https://www.UNICEF.org/southafrica/
https://apo-opa.info/42dIxHD

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNICEF South Africa.

Media contacts:
To arrange an interview with one of our experts or request more information contact:
Sudeshan Reddy,
Communication Specialist,
sureddy@unicef.org

Toby Fricker,
Chief Communication and Partnerships, 
tfricker@unicef.org

To arrange an interview with SemaBOX please contact:
Valerie Mumia
valeriemumia@unchartedpr.com

About UNICEF South Africa:
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.

About SemaBOX:
SemaBOX is a specialist podcast studio based in Nairobi and also Africa’s biggest podcast incubator. We provide technology and production capacity for podcast-making and storytelling for African creators, and creators focusing on stories about Africa. SemabOX HQ is located in Nairobi but is active in 6 African counries with a creator network of over 400 titles.