Vodacom provide food security across South Africa for Mandela Day
JOHANNESBURG - Braving this year's winter chill, Vodacom staff members packed thousands of food parcels for pupils from previously disadvantaged schools across the country's nine provinces.
This initiative forms part of a larger project which the Vodacom Foundation is rolling out, building on its inaugural food security drive launched in honour of International Nelson Mandela Day in 2013. This year, the project will see a total of 30 000 food parcels packed by Vodacom employees and will be distributed when schools reopen next week.
Pupils and their families will each receive nutritious food parcels consisting of peanut butter, baked beans in tomato sauce, canned meat, sugar beans, mixed fruit jam, pilchards in tomato sauce, maize meal and powdered milk.
Vodacom group chief executive officer, Shameel Joosub said, “Ubuntu is one of the values that we espouse at Vodacom and, as such, the occasion of Nelson Mandela Day offers us the privilege to extend human kindness to others, especially those who are less fortunate in our country. This we do in the spirit of wanting to change the world for the better, just as Madiba did.
“Madiba sacrificed most of his youth and adult life to give the majority of South Africans a taste of freedom. At Vodacom, in turn, we like to celebrate Mandela Day to emulate the servant leadership that our beloved Madiba so perfectly displayed, giving [of] oneself in order to touch somebody else’s life.”
Read: Taking a closer look at Mandela Day
In addition to food packing, Vodacom volunteers will be committing their 67 Minutes to assist communities across South Africa.
This will be done in partnership with Food and Trees for Africa, South Africa’s greening and environmental organisation. Seven food gardens across the country will be planted by volunteers on 19 and 20 July. Volunteers will spend the day interacting with the beneficiary members, planting an assortment of vegetable seedlings, enhancing the soil with compost and laying mulch.
In addition, on Mandela Day, thousands of volunteers, in partnership with the telecoms company, Blue Bulls rugby players, Nelson Mandela Foundation and more, will race the clock to pack as many food parcels as possible within 67 minutes. Since the launch of the Nelson Mandela Food Packing programme in 2013, Vodacom staff members have packed in excess of 150 000 food parcels.
Chief executive officer of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang, said, “This year marks the fourth year with Vodacom as a dedicated partner, helping to take Madiba’s legacy forward.”
Read: Eight moments in Mandela’s life after being elected president
Other companies are urged to play an active role and support Mandela Day. By devoting 67 minutes of their time, one minute for every year of Mandela’s public service, people can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.
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