Kliptown Youth Program and KFC Add Hope make difference
. Almost 35% of Gauteng’s population is food insecure with children reporting to have missed a meal because there was insufficient money to buy food at home.
Last Tuesday, Kliptown Youth Program (KYP) in partnership with KFC Add Hope celebrated World Food Day and the difference one meal can make at their new location.
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Almost 35% of Gauteng’s population is food insecure with children reporting to have missed a meal because there was insufficient money to buy food at home.
Which is why KYP decided to provide two meals a day for children in their programme, well packaged bread in the morning followed by a full cooked meal in the afternoon.
The purpose of the day was to provide a first-hand experience of the impact of nutritious food, of leaving no one behind and to get some further insight into the opportunities for the youth at their new location and plans for the future.
Andra Nel, Add Hope marketing brand manager said, “At KFC We believe that hunger is the gatekeeper to solving most of society’s problems. When the child is hungry, they can’t grow, they can’t learn and they can’t thrive so they must have access to the nutrition their bodies need to make the most of their education opportunities.”
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We all know that no one chooses to be born in poverty, which is why KYP took an oath to stand in the gap to fight against poverty and poor living conditions in Kliptown as well as surrounding areas. To other facilities poverty is business but here it is a concern.
“We want to have young people who have long-term thinking but also being aware of their now moment.
“So, if we are going to think about what’s going to happen five years from now, we need to take care of what’s happening now.
“That’s exactly what we are doing here every day,” said Thulani Madondo, Co-founder and Executive director of Kliptown Youth Program.
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Unlike other facilities, KYP was born in Kliptown and the founders also lived in these conditions with no one to help them with homework and post matric youth developments.
They looked back and saw the best response to poverty was to build a bridge for the generation that followed to not encounter the same insufficient hope for the future due to their poor living conditions.
“We have helped about 1200 people in our community and we have sent 100 learners to universities and have graduated as well.
“And we have also stretched ourselves in helping 40 girls in KZN kwaMhlabuyalingana and four of those have graduated and are financially independent and helping their communities as well,” said Madondo.
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Their centre is accessible to anyone for community events and meetings.
They also welcome residents to come and utilise their centre because the best way to protect this environment is to make sure that the community has full access to it.
“We appreciate their work and they have done a phenomenal work for the residents which have a lot of needs. They provide a safe haven for kids after school and also give support with homework and study.
“They also prepare them for the work environment,” said Nel.
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