Ladles of Love, a non-profit organisation, launched its most ambitious campaign called, "Feed the Future." Providing 8,000 children and their teachers with two meals every day, it seeks to guarantee no child goes hungry while in school. 

The organisation started as a soup kitchen in 2014, serving hundreds of homeless people in Cape Town nutritious meals every week, run by Ladles of Love founder and CEO, Danny Diliberto. “The organisation has always been about giving good food to those that don’t have access to food.

“Our main focus is working with children in ECD centres, the pre-schools in the communities, and our goal is to ensure that they get two nutritious meals a day to ensure not only their bodies are fed, but their souls too.”

Currently, they provide almost 70 pre-schools and ECD centres in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Northern Cape with two meals, five days a week, and aim to increase this in the future.

Meanwhile, the DA in the Northern Cape has called on the provincial government to address severe acute malnutrition among children.

Malnutrition has claimed the lives of 110 children under the age of five, out of 1,600 hospital admissions over the past three years.

Healthy and nutritious food served to children. Photo supplied

This is from Northern Cape MEC of Health, Maruping Lekwene when asked about the number of children in the province that have died of malnutrition.

“Losing 110 children under five to malnutrition, is an absolute tragedy and our hearts go out to the families of these children,” said Northern Cape DA Social Development spokesperson Karen Jooste.

“The DA will not rest until the Northern Cape government ensures that no child goes to bed hungry and that no family suffers the loss of a child due to malnutrition.”

Pre-schoolers enjoy their meals at school. Photo supplied

Feed the Future calls on individuals and businesses to support the campaign to ensure that children get healthy daily meals at school all year round.

“We serve the children for the whole year when the ECDs are open and unfortunately in December when they close we are unable to provide the children with food,” said Diliberto.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh