Gender Equality South Africa Project #38463

Empowering Girls and Women as Mothers

by Keep The Dream196

Project Report | Aug 11, 2020
Education and Covid19 - the knock on effects!

By Louise | Jack of all trades, master of none!

Homework assistance before Covid 19

Min Jani,

Across the world, this is typically the time that school age children are preparing to go back to school. Here in South Africa, schools closed down in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early May, the government reopened some sectors of the economy in an effort to kickstart a stuttering economy. Schools were expected to open their doors with children back in class on June 1. What has happened here mirrors what happened in most parts of the world when communities opened and saw a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.

This past week or so, the government decided not to open schools, which means that the school nutrition program will not likely resume either. The economic hardship has been the result of most citizens being forced to stay indoors. It shut all but essential businesses since late March.

Honestly, we are concerned that the longer kids stay out of school, the more they will fall further behind in the areas of math, reading, and other core classes.This academic year has been a write off. In comparison, last year in 2019, KTD196 matriculants achieved a 91% pass rate while governments was 73%.

We are happy to report that KTD196 has been able to be impact the piling pressure of the current hunger crisis and position our children to focus on their homework during at-home learning, where this form of learning exists. We cannot control the spread of the virus, but we are reducing the number of hungry families and children. The University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute said that before the pandemic, a quarter of South Africa’s under-fives were nutritionally stunted and 6.4 million children under 18 years old survived on less than $32USD a month.

With your support on our healthy eating and healthy living food program, we have been able to provide close to 200 food parcels to local families. We have been prioritizing families with multiple children and because of you, we have literally saved lives.

As we go into the fall season, we are grateful that you have joined us in response to this emergency. The distribution of food parcels to poor families is in great demand and we could not meet that demand without your general support. Every day, we have mothers who cry tears of joy and gratitude that they don’t have to soothe their crying babies and overlook their hungry bellies.

We are working very hard and it encourages me to share that our efforts are making a huge difference. We are able to reach families in remote areas and marginalized groups, such as refugees and people with disabilities.

On behalf of the hundreds of families that we have been able to support directly or provide with essential resources, thank you. Your continued support to our food parcel drive is needed and appreciated. We would love to hear from you and answer any questions that you may have. On our Facebook page, you can leave a note. Or you may visit our website. I am happy to share with you how the funds are earmarked for this project.

Anyway, stay safe, stay well and we will do the same

Blessings

Louise

Look what I grew, thanks to you!

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Aug 6, 2020
I had to beg neighbours for food, then you came!

By Louise | Managing Director

The Celebration continues because of you!

Greetings Avuxeni,

As we enter the spring season here in South Africa, it is a time for reflecting and showing appreciation. First, we are reflecting on all that we have been able to accomplish this past quarter. Programmatically, we had to shift our programs dramatically due to the global spread of COVID-19. No one could have prepared us for mandated quarantine, facemasks, and social distancing. It’s almost hard to believe that this is our present “norm”. Organizationally, we had to pivot in our delivery of services to make sure we maintained our commitment to identifying and meeting the needs of young people and their families here in Limpopo, South Africa. Honestly, there were days when the team and I spent hours trying to put systems and structures in place to meet the needs of our youth.

The pandemic proved to be the perfect time to expand our healthy eating and healthy living program and to shift our focus to providing food parcels. Due to the pandemic, the fear of hunger has become a more pressing issue than the fear of the virus. Up to 70% of households in Limpopo skip meals or eat the same meal on most days. Families now struggle to provide meals or worry about having no food or money to buy food. And households with multiple children face a real dilemma of food insecurity.

As the leader of the organization, I have always believed that having a dream for a better tomorrow is a basic human right. Food security, in my opinion, is also a basic human right. The fact is that in adults, food insecurity is linked to detrimental health outcomes, such as obesity, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders. In children, there is a link between food insecurity, stunting, poor development, and decreased academic ability.

Because of you and your support, KTD196 has helped almost 200 families to have adequate, healthy, and safe food. You have also helped mothers to be free from worry or anxiety about having enough food for everyone in the household. Thank you!

The demand for our healthy eating and healthy living program has grown and we are excited, not only about what we have been able to do thus far, but also about the impact we will yet do. Every gift of $125 helps reduce the stunning of 70% of families who are hungry each day.

The real impact is that food insecurity is directly linked to:

o poverty;

o lower levels of maternal education (primary school or none);

o unemployment;

o larger household size; and

o households that experience events that place an added demand on their budgets. This could also be related to an unexpected illness with medical expenses or a sudden job loss.

Another factor is the increasing trend of people eating more amounts of cheap fast food and less nutritious food.

Because of you, we are literally saving children from malnutrition, poor development, and decreased academic achievement. It is important to note that our work is not a short-term fix. There is a direct connection between alleviating food insecurity to some extent and an increased ability to take on some type of work for income.

Every time you give to KTD196, you are also helping increase employment opportunities, education, and empowerment, and significantly lessen the burden of food insecurity. Again, thank you!

Below are photos of the KTD196 team distributing food parcels, some of the many food gardens which have been developed during this time, that you helped provide. Please visit our Keep The Dream 196 Facebook page to see more photos and videos as well. Alternatively, I have just uploaded some video's to our YouTube channel where parents express their thanks to you themselves. It is so heartbreaking!

The excitement over this childs first crop of bean

One of our community gardens and a stressed mum

The look of joy on one mum's face when receiving!

Look at that relief! Priceless

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Jul 31, 2020
Together WE are Making an Impact!

By Louise | Managing Director

147 Food Gardens so far, thanks to your support!

Avuxeni, Minjani? (“Greetings, how are you?” in Xitsonga)

As South Africa moves into the nineteenth week of its COVID-19 lockdown, South Africans are working hard to assess its human costs. Apart from the lockdown’s devastating impact on the economy, it has suppressed some major types of crime and inspired a surge in some others. But above all, the lockdown has translated into a sharp increase in national levels of poverty and malnutrition. However essential the lockdown is to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, emerging suffering of hunger is being forced to the forefront like never before.

While on lockdown, KTD196 made the decision to step forward and fulfil our mission to assist children to overcome difficult life circumstances. While our core program builds resilience physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically, during this time, we realized that helping them eat and not go to bed hungry for days and weeks is critical.

Data from the Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action (PACSA) shows that food prices are climbing in South Africa, with households struggling to keep up. Because of food price inflation, the affordability of food and other essential household requirements for most of the families in Greater Tzaneen is far out of reach. The price of a basket containing 36 basic food items increased over 10% in the last few weeks from R1,989.60 to R2,068.35. Every single day, thousands of people stand in lines for 10 to 12 hours in hopes of getting food parcels to feed their families. Many are forced to leave empty-handed, tired, and hungry because food has run out.

KTD196 is proud to report that, because of your support, we have been able to distribute over 150 food parcels to families in Limpopo. Every gift of $100 equates to us being able to feed two families of five for a month. That is really amazing and we are very grateful to those of you who have joined us to stop the pains of hunger, hopelessness, and fear in so many lives. Thank you.

As we enter the month of August, our goal is to distribute another 150 parcels of food, sanitary napkins, and essential hygiene items with our partner We Care South Africa. Coordinating with other organizations and local businesses has allowed us to reach more children and families. Please know that your support to KTD196 is having a huge impact, and hundreds of people are not going to bed hungry tonight. Thank you!

Below is a recent photo of the KTD196 team distributing food parcels. While we wish you could be here to see the joy and relief on the family’s mothers who are able to feed their babies, we hope these photos bring a smile to your face. It is because of you, and others like you, that we have been able to reach this milestone. We are far from done, but we want to celebrate with you. Thank you again.

If you would like to contribute to our food parcel drive, please go to our page, donate, and leave a note so that I know the funds are earmarked for this project. For every $100 per month, 2 families of five are able to eat and to have their basic needs met. We are also distributing seeds to supplement the food parcels with fresh food. You will see the photos attached.

We appreciate you and we hope that everything concerning your family is well. Please stay safe and in good health.

Look at the joy on their faces - PRICELESS!

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