South Africa is facing a deepening food insecurity crisis, with an estimated 15 to 16 million people experiencing inadequate access to food. As the cost of living continues to rise and unemployment remains high, many households are struggling to meet their most basic needs.
Striving to tackle this issue, the Kolisi Foundation, founded in 2020 by Siya and Rachel Kolisi, is a South African non-profit organisation that aims to serve disadvantaged communities. The foundation focuses on gender-based violence, education, sport, and food security.
With the current food insecurity crisis in South Africa, the Kolisi Foundation supports 36 community-run kitchens across the country. These kitchens make a huge difference for many families in South Africa. Local volunteers, many of whom are women, manage a large number of these supported kitchens.
These volunteers are aware of the needs in their communities and put in much effort to guarantee that disadvantaged households receive ongoing assistance. The foundation’s supported kitchens are located in several regions of the country, including:
- Cape Town
- Gqeberha
- Johannesburg
- Durban
- Regions of the Eastern Cape
In the last eight months, these kitchens have helped over 600 000 people through food assistance and community support programmes.
Regarding the food insecurity crisis, Kolisi Foundation’s Managing Director, Mahlatse Mashua, states, ‘Community kitchens are local responses to structural challenges. They help families navigate difficult realities, but they are not substitutes for long-term solutions to hunger and inequality.‘
The Foundation also provides monthly kitchen parcels and equipment, as well as training and operational support, ensuring that these community kitchens can operate seamlessly.
One of these locations is the St John’s kitchen in Kwazakhele, Gqerberha. Not only does this kitchen provide 3 000 to 3 600 meals to individuals and families monthly, but it also collaborates with local NGOs and service providers to connect those in need with additional support.
These include social services, skills development programmes, and job readiness support, thus offering support to better individuals and, by extension, their communities.
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Picture: The Kolisi Foundation / Facebook
