Pretoria — The Department of Social Development and the German Development Bank have signed a R76 million agreement towards the improvement of living conditions of child and youth-headed households in South Africa.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday by the department's Director General Vusi Madonsela and Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, who is an Executive Member of the German Development Bank, known as the KfW Banking Group.

It follows a relationship between the two parties, which began in 2007 with the commissioning of a study on the situational analysis of child-headed households in South Africa.

The purpose of the study was to assess the needs of child-headed households and to identify services and additional resources that may be utilised to support them.

Madonsela said the department had entered into the partnership with KfW for the implementation of a care and support project targeting child- and youth-headed households, with the clear goal of addressing challenges faced by children who head households.

"We will equip them with life skills and ensure access to improved services offered by refurbished and adequately equipped Community Care Centres.

"We really appreciate the generosity of KfW and hope to see our relationship grow further," Madonsela said.

Dr Kloppenburg said that the financial contribution would be used exclusively for refurbishments, construction, equipment and extensions of community care centres.

It will also be used to benefit recipients through skills development programmes, he said.

The programme will be implemented over a period of three years in the Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal provinces.