While South African schoolchildren eagerly anticipate the end-of-year holiday, for many this is a six-week break without regular daily meals. To bridge this nutritional gap, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)-based NPO, Zero2Five Trust has partnered with Durban’s Victor Daitz Foundation to implement a holiday nutrition and fun programme for more than 4 000 families in rural areas of uThukela, iLembe, and King Cetshwayo Districts.
An estimated 68% of KZN families with schoolchildren currently depend on regular meals provided by the National School Nutrition Programme or other feeding schemes. This makes the holiday period an increasingly difficult time, which is why this forward-thinking nutritional partnership is now running for a 5th consecutive year from mid-December.
Says Julika Falconer, CEO of Zero2Five: “Our December and January holiday clubs have become the highlight for the various outreach areas we service throughout the year, and the fortified porridge distribution to over 4 000 households is a much-welcomed contribution for struggling families. Three of our caring, long-standing KZN funders also help each year to ensure 450 children have fun-filled days at our holiday clubs at three rural venues.”
The three funders include the Victor Daitz Foundation, Marriott Investment Managers, and The Willowton Group, all of whom have provided much-needed support. Started by Victor Daitz in 1984, the Foundation is one of Durban’s oldest and most engaged family trusts, supporting a wide spectrum of causes across the province. In 2014, Marriott Investment Managers came on board as one of the first annual grantmakers for Zero2Five, supporting many Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes and providing vital assistance to Zero2Five with financial management.
The Willowton Group from Pietermaritzburg funds Zero2Five’s ECD centre-based nutrition programme throughout the year, adding much-needed food items for the holiday club meals in December. This year, holiday club attendees will also benefit from six new soccer goals, balls, and various games, with face painting and group activities a firm favourite.
The Growing Need to Feed South African Children
Amid the rising cost of food, high inflation, and an unemployment rate of just under 32%, families are simply struggling to feed their children. The recent Household Affordability Index by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity group shows soaring food prices in South Africa in 2023. The October report indicates that a staggering 64.2% of Black South Africans now live below the upper-bound poverty line of R 1 558, as outlined by Stats SA.
The month-on-month comparison shows that feeding a child a basic, nutritious diet increased by R25.30 between September and October 2023. Compared with last October, when it cost an average of R825.31, families now have to find another R107.42 to feed one child the same amount in October 2023.
As it stands, the much-debated Child Support Grant of R510 is set well below the food poverty line of R760, and further below the average cost of R932,73 to secure a basic nutritious diet for a child in one month. These numbers, combined with school meal gaps at various school levels, result in many children going to bed hungry during the holidays, at a time when they should be enjoying a well-deserved break.
Fellow NPOs and corporate sponsors are encouraged to continue their support programmes throughout this long festive break to ensure the gap in nutrition and play can be bridged for South Africa’s children.
To find out more about Zero2Five’s projects or find out how to get involved, visit www.zero2five.org.za, email [email protected]
