Ikageng Centre stops feeding vulnerable families as coffers dry up
Margaret Mafumadi’s self-funded kitchen at 11th Avenue stops feeding vulnerable elderly citizens and children due to lack of funds.
As calls for funding fall on deaf ears, the Ikageng Children’s Day Care and Community Centre has been forced to temporarily close its kitchen, turning away elderly citizens and children who rely on their three-meals-per-week service.
Founder Margaret Mafumadi, who has spent the past two years knocking on doors in search of donations and sponsorships, says she no longer has the financial strength to keep the initiative running. “We were spending from our own pockets, and it was still not enough. When it ran out, and we had to start turning people away, it was painful. The look on their faces would hurt me. It would often force me to share the little food that is meant for my own household.”
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Ever since Ikageng was registered in 2022 as a non-profit, it has faced multiple hurdles in securing sponsorships or donations. Mafumadi, known in her community for her tireless giving, spent the past two years knocking on doors from businesses to churches. She said many companies responded to her appeal by saying their sponsorship lists were already full. “I found a place at 13th Avenue. I would cook [on 11th Avenue] and carry the pots to 13th Avenue. We had initially agreed that, since it was a church building, I wouldn’t pay, but they later wanted me to pay R300 per week. I said there was no problem, although I was not charging the people I was cooking for.” She noted that when she couldn’t pay the money consistently, she was told she could no longer use the church.
Despite this setback, the centre continued cooking meals for those in need, but the strain became overwhelming. Mafumadi now fears her passion for helping may be defeated by lack of funding.
She wants to continue, but after years of appealing for help, she is slowly losing hope that any funder or sponsor will step up. “I need any kind of help. It can be food, funds, or even chairs and tables so that people can eat comfortably. We don’t want to turn anyone away.”
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