Non-profit organisation (NPO) Ladles of Love is inviting South Africans to get on board with its biggest annual campaign yet, called ‘Feed the Future’.
The campaign aims to provide two healthy meals a day to 8 000 small children in need, as well as their teachers, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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‘Investing in the growth and education of small children through nutrition has to be the greatest gift of all,’ said Danny Diliberto, Ladles of Love founder and CEO.
‘About half of South Africa is food insecure and UNICEF estimates that about 1.5 million (23% of) children in the country are severely under-nourished, which has serious long-term effects on their health, well-being and ability to learn. The good news is that together we are out there making a difference,’ Dilberto added.
‘Our programmes provide almost 70 pre-schools and early childhood development centres in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape with two meals 5 days a week and we aim to be able to increase this in the future.’
‘Nutritious meals have made such a wonderful difference in our ECD, the fact that we have guaranteed access to food from Ladles of Love for our children during their time at school ensures that their physical growth is supported as well as their ability to learn and participate actively in class for their brain development,’ said Andiswa Ncamiso, owner and principal of Little Conquerors in Dunoon.
Andiswa, originally from the Eastern Cape, resides in Joe Slovo Park with her husband and children. She founded her Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre to provide the children in her community with better opportunities for future success.
‘Earlier this year, I received a call from a neighbour about a young child being left unattended at home by parents who were struggling with their personal issues. Realising the need to step in, I approached the parents kindly and offered to care for their child at no cost as part of my Early Childhood Development (ECD) practical training. They agreed, and I soon discovered the child had difficulty swallowing solid food. To help, I prepared butternut soup for him until he was able to manage solid foods,’ said Andiswa.
‘His physical condition spoke volumes – often tired, unable to stand or play, and showed little interest in most activities. With time, he changed: now, he eagerly helps tidy the classroom, runs around energetically, and is full of life. He particularly enjoys oats, samp, and beans, often asking for seconds. Seeing his transformation has been deeply rewarding,’ Andiswa added.
Currently, Ladles of Love are looking for support from both individuals and businesses, such as a monthly or annual donation that would allow Ladles of Love to procure and provide healthy daily meals for small children and their teachers in support of their preschool education.
By donating R250 a month, a small child will receive two nutritious meals on weekdays throughout the year. Other options to support Ladles of Love include organising a fundraiser or becoming a ‘love activist’ volunteer.
Donors can join the Ladles of Love Leaderboard through the ‘Feed the Future’ annual investment plan, which consists of four tiers. These tiers include:
- Tier 1: A R1 200 000 investment which funds 400 children a year
- Tier 2: A R600 000 investment which funds 200 children a year
- Tier 3: A R300 000 investment which funds 100 children a year
- Tier 4: A R120 000 investment which funds 40 children a year
All donations are billable monthly or annually, with 18A Tax Certificates or SED Affidavits that will be provided to all donors.
For the donation, donors will receive monthly impact stories, recognition on the Ladles website, newsletters and social media, branding in the Ladles of Love warehouses, a motivational talk by Danny Diliberto to employees, a warehouse tour and a complimentary team build or field trip for a group of 20.
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Picture: Papi Morake / Gallo Images
