Hope is stronger than hunger this World Hunger Month
Hillbrow – We need to do everything we can to turn the tide on hunger.
Local celebrities and members of the media gathered at Dinaledi Preschool in Hillbrow to launch World Hunger Month.
The school belongs to the non-government organisation, Mould, Empower, Serve (MES).
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World Hunger Month is commemorated in October every year and the commemoration coincides with World Food Day, held on 16 October. The event was organised by Add Hope, an initiative by the food franchise business KFC, which aims to raise over R5 million in donations to feed about 120 000 children countrywide at various NGOs.
KFC public affairs director for Africa, Thabisa Mkhwanazi, said the World Hunger Month campaign focuses on the message ‘Hope is stronger than hunger’.
Mkhwanazi said the objective is to create an engaging experience to drive conversations around the hunger crisis in South Africa, while simultaneously showing hope that centres such as MES Dinaledi provide.
“We’re exploring how better nutrition in early childhood can have a lasting impact on physical, cognitive and social development, giving the next generation hope by unlocking potential and boosting prosperity,” said Mkhwanazi.
“It’s the single most important factor in creating a better future for these children. When you add hope, you give a child so much more than food.”
Children challenged Sthembiso Khoza, Proverb, Smash Afrika, DJ Sabby, Hayley Owen and Nicole da Silva to soccer, chess and crafts.
This, according to Mkhwanazi, was to show how essential good nutrition is for the development of physical, psychosocial and cognitive skills at an early age.
Khoza said too many children are living in poverty, and a lack of nutritious food can give them a really rough start in life, adding that they have enough challenges to face.
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“We can all make a difference, and Add Hope is a simple way to do it,” said Khoza, who is an ambassador for Add Hope.
Owen said, “These kids come from a very tough area, and for many of them, the meal they get here at MES is the only meal of the day. I’m really happy to see how well they’re doing. With hope, we can reach more children if we all pull together.”
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