Why do we feed the hungry?
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” – Matthew 25:35
The Challenge
Every fourth children in South Africa is undernourished and every eighth child is over nourished (obese)*
By providing a daily nutritious meal to all learners in less-served primary and secondary schools, the government’s National School Nutrition Programme is designed to improve children’s ability to learn, but it is fraught with systemic and administrative pitfalls, poor quality and late or non-deliveries. Non-payment of service providers at national level is another critical challenge. All this results in learners going hungry without meals.
*Source: bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com
The Solution
The programme provides nutrition to young people and learner going hungry through a crisis or circumstances beyond their control.
This programme enhances learning through meeting children’s physical need for health and balanced nutrition and meals are supplied to crèches, schools, churches, counselling centres, aftercare programmes, and youth holiday clubs through partnerships.
A high protein, soy-based porridge in the morning, a beef bone and vegetable soup served at lunchtime or peanut butter/egg mayonnaise sandwiches are effective ways to change the current nutrition status quo.
Having their children fed at school is an incentive for parents and caregivers to send them to school, the domestic household food-cost burden is reduced, and active learning capacity is enhanced.
In addition to the daily feeding into various establishments, relief hampers (20 litre buckets of non-perishable food and hygiene items) are given to families in crisis (mostly where the breadwinner has been retrenched or a single mother is struggling to provide for her children) who are identified by local community partners.
Opportunities to serve as part of the #DominoEffect
Nutrition depends on local, national and international individuals/families, corporate businesses, trust and foundation donors (financial), schools, churches and volunteers (time and services) to support and sustain it. This can be done through donations, SED investments, staff-impact days schools community service, or as an international volunteer campaigns.
TIME
You may have spare time to make sandwiches on site or at home or rally up your troops and collect jars of peanut butter and mayonnaise needed for the samies contact us on nutrition@domino.org.za
TALENT
Perhaps you have skills to help with catering or corporate contacts for donations, or are you competent with social media to raise awareness of our work, or perhaps keen to do a ‘Needs List Collection Drive’ at your office, school or sports club contact marketing@domino.org.za
TREASURE
You could partner financially, sign up as a monthly R250 direct debit donor, give a once-off gift via EFT/Credit Card/PayPal, or choose Nutrition as your CSI partner or Fundraising Event beneficiary – contact accounts@domino.org.za
Creches
Creches and ECD’s are provided with nutritious meals for children at school every week day, which has proved to encourage daily attendance and achieve their developmental milestones. This is based on a partnership that builds capacity for schools to ultimately provide this nutrition for themselves!
School Sandwiches
Sandwiches are delivered to partner schools whose children who would otherwise have no lunch, providing protein packed ‘food for thought’. Schools identify their most vulnerable learners who need nutrition support and distribute these sandwiches discreetly as delivered by the Domino Nutrition Team
Relief Hampers
These are 20 litre buckets filled with non-perishable food and hygiene for families in crisis who are identified by local community partners. Majority of these families are either households where breadwinners have been retrenched or single mothers struggling to provide for their children. Again hampers are distributed discreetly to preserve the dignity of the families in need!
Monitoring & Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation tensures that our programmes remain relevant and effective to reduce hunger and strengthen nutrition.
The infograph below reflects some of the key impact area’s from our Durban South Nutrition Programme in 2019
Community Collaboration
Watch the video where Cathy Whittle, Nutrition Program leader of The Domino Foundation, chats with Jabu Ncomo of Isheq Solutions on the collaboration in the education of communities on healthier living.
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Contact Details
Cathy Whittle (Durban North)
Email: nutrition@domino.org.za
Phone: +27 (0) 31 563 9605
Fax: +27 (0) 31 563 1001
Cheryl Dann (Durban South)
Email: nutritionsouth@domino.org.za
Phone: +27 (0) 31 309 1725
Team Members
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Nutrition North Durban
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Nutrition South Durban
