Add Hope helps kids beat hunger and flourish

Where do those R2 donations people often make when ordering a fast-food chicken meal go?

Well, as you walk into the Boys & Girls Club of Pimville, beyond the freshly painted building and neatly tailored lawns, you notice children running about energetically.

The manager, Tumi Ramasodi, said the club opened in 2011 and was now filled to capacity with 400 children a day. Most came from within the community and were from disadvantaged circumstances. They lacked access to several necessities, including nutritious meals.

“Providing children with proper nutrition is still a hurdle. For some of the children, the meal they get here is the only nutritious food they get for the whole day. With the help of our four-year-long partnership with Add Hope, we are able to serve one meal a day to all of them.”

A facilitator paints on a young girls face ahead of a talent show at the Boys and Girls Club in Soweto, 2 November 2018. Picture:Refilwe Modise

In 2009, KFC started the Add Hope initiative, collecting a R2 donation from their customers at the till to help fight childhood hunger through the feeding schemes it offers to non-profit childcare facilities like this one.

Ramasodi said malnutrition still killed 1 120 children under five each year in South Africa, but the Add Hope initiative was helping to reduce the number.

“We have three other branches and KFC assists all of us with their feeding scheme,” said Ramasodi. “It is a strong partnership.”

An 11-year-old boy who goes to the club every day, Lesego Tshabalala, said: “I enjoy coming here because I feel guided and safe. My life has improved because I got more distinctions and I passed.”

KFC public affairs director and Add Hope champion Thabisa Mkhwanazi said: “It’s unthinkable that children in our country still die from hunger and malnutrition, with stunting affecting millions more.

“Through our Add Hope beneficiaries, we’ve witnessed real change. Children held back by hunger have, thanks to daily nourishment, grown into confident youngsters with the potential to break out of the hunger cycle.”

– chisomj@citizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.