Soul Food and The Love Trust repledge to nourishing partnership
Soul Food COO Thabo Maluleke says this partnership is about giving children the gift of education, and ensuring that they are nourished enough to learn.
With a vast number of South African children facing stunting, a condition of chronic undernutrition where a child is significantly short for their age, resulting from a long-term lack of adequate energy and nutrients, Soul Food and The Love Trust are working together to give Nokuphila School learners, in President Park, the nourishment they need to thrive.
This partnership, which began in 2019, has been renewed with greater vigour, as Soul Food pledges to support The Love Trust’s Nokuphila School with breakfast meals indefinitely.
Thabo Maluleke, chief operating officer at Soul Food, said they provide between 1.5 and 1.7 million meals nationally monthly, feeding over 70 000 children daily, through more than 1 000 centres.
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“We have always believed that proper nutrition is a human right. It is shocking that 1.7 million children in South Africa, about 27%, are already stunted.
Many of them were never given a fair chance at proper nutrition. By narrowing our focus to children between 0 and 10 years old, we are targeting the crucial window where we can make the biggest difference.”
He adds that their flagship breakfast, the Powa Pack, is a sorghum-based porridge rich in protein, energy, and balanced nutrients, designed specifically to combat malnutrition. For lunch, the Powa Loda, a soy-based product with rice and spices, offers variety and warmth.
These scientifically developed solutions are the product of extensive research and development through collaborations with leading manufacturers and academic partners.
Maluleke said, for The Love Trust, who run the Nokuphila School, as well as an extensive teacher training programme, their partnership with Soul Food means more than just meals.
“Our partnership with The Love Trust is a no-brainer. They are giving children the gift of education, and we ensure that they are nourished enough to learn.
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Together, we can go over and above a bowl of food, and offer children a real future.”
He said, by guaranteeing their learners are properly nourished, Soul Food enables The Love Trust to redirect its resources into other critical areas, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning tools, and ensuring their learners are safely transported to and from school.
It is a collaboration that amplifies both organisations’ impact.
Maluleke puts it simply: “If we can keep a child in school, learning with energy and dignity, then we have done more than feed them… We have invested in South Africa’s future.”
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