Hunger is not an occasional visitor; it is a constant companion for many children in early childhood development (ECD) centres, according to Ntswaki Tshoagong, principal of Thabisong Day Care.

She said at the recent World Hunger Day, a community activation by PepsiCo and Sasko at the centre offered a moment of relief amid the ongoing struggle.

“Some kids come in the morning not having had anything to eat, but we help with breakfast and lunch.”

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Tshoagong painted a dire picture of the challenges facing children under six in Alexandra. She said some have lost their parents and live with their grandparents who rely on the pensioners’ grant.

She added that others arrive at the centre not only hungry, but also unbathed, because their grannies are unwell and struggling.

The World Hunger Day event brought something different, special meals that the children celebrated. Children were given a sense of what childhood should feel like as they engaged in a number of fun and educational activities, bringing a sense of joy that stood out from their usual routine.

Tshoagong said for the ECD workers who confront hunger daily, the partnership provided welcome support.

Thabisong Day Care is among other ECDs, including Baby Care and Tiny toons, that receive such critical support to combat hunger among children, according to Mbalenhle Sithole, marketing manager at Sasko Bakeries.

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Siphelele Shongwe, social impact lead SA at PepsiCo, emphasised that food security and nutrition are central to the company’s strategy. “We have two flagship projects, one is called the PepsiCo Breakfast Programme, which is across 35 schools. The total number of learners is 37 000 across seven provinces.”

This programme, which has run for the past ten years, serves breakfast to learners every single school day.
Through their other breakfast programme, PepsiCo, and multiple partners, provides nutritious, immune-boosting instant-maize porridge, produced by FutureLife, to ECDs around the country.

This reaches over 15 000 children across 649 ECDs in seven provinces, and serves 3.6 million breakfast meals a year.

In Alexandra, where socioeconomic hardships run deep, these interventions have helped mitigate the impact of poverty on children during their most critical development stages.

“Now that Sasko was here celebrating World Hunger Day, it helped us a lot, because children ate something different from what they are used to. Something different from their usual menu.”

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