Drive to feed SA’s hungry children

Local organisations have teamed up to raise funds for Ikamva Labantu’s after school feeding programmes.

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Cape Town - It is often said that you can’t teach a hungry child, and for this reason local organisations have teamed up to raise funds for Ikamva Labantu’s after school feeding programmes which provide cooked meals to underprivileged children.

The campaign, called Fuel2Grow, aims to provide 650 children with a cooked nutritious meal five days a week, for a year.

This meal will provide children with the fuel to grow, learn, play, study, dream, create and inspire, according to the organisation.

Statistics show that 3.3 million children live in households where there is child hunger, 14 percent live in households where children go hungry, 17 percent of children under the age of 10 suffer from stunting due to a lack of nutrition, and 10 percent of children under 10 are underweight.

Ikamva Labantu’s director, Ananda Nel, said: “Food insecurity is very real.

“Children can’t play, learn, dream, or be inspired when their immediate need is food to fill their tummies.

“They need fuel.

“Hence the Fuel2Grow campaign.

“If we can’t provide our kids with a meal, our efforts to inspire and educate them will be lost as their focus will be on the physical hunger they are experiencing.”

To raise funds, Ikamva Labantu has partnered with Freshlyground to design a “Relate” bracelet which will be sold for R50 at Cape Union Mart stores.

The bracelet is also available in stacks of 10 from Relate’s online store.

Freshlyground band member Kyla-Rose Smith said: “We aim to inspire future generations through creativity and music to be the best versions of themselves.

“We support Ikamva Labantu’s Fuel2Grow campaign because we believe that no child should arrive at school or go to bed hungry.

“As parents, we understand just how important good nutrition is in a child’s development and well-being.

“We wish to see all children thrive and reach their full potential.

“Believing that kids should be kids no matter their circumstances, and with the intent of ‘fuelling creativity’, proceeds from the sale of our special bracelet will go towards Ikamva Labantu’s daily feeding programme – fuelling kids to be their unique best.”

Relate Bracelets’ chief executive, Neil Robinson, said: “If every employed South African spent just R35 on one bracelet each year, that would mean close to a quarter of a billion rand towards these causes annually, with this easy to do, small spend impacting on our country in a big way.

“It could result in a big dent in our country’s problems.”

To support the campaign, you can buy a Relate bracelet from Cape Union Mart.

siyabonga.kalipa@inl.co.za

Cape Argus