Teacher goes extra mile for her students and their families
One Monday, a learner from her class told her he last ate the previous Friday at the school feeding scheme and that is how FillATummy was born.
Meet Simone van Niekerk (30) a teacher at a local school in Pretoria who shares the little she has with her learners and their families in need.
Simone is the founder of FillATummy NPC which started in 2022 at a local high school that she teaches at in Suiderberg, Pretoria West.
Speaking to Rekord, Simone said one sad encounter with one of her learners resulted in the founding of FillATummy NPC.
She said one Monday morning in class, one of her learners seemed not okay, and when she asked him what was wrong, the boy said he was hungry.
“The boy told me that he had not eaten anything over the weekend. He had last had something to eat at the school feeding scheme.
“That made me sad to hear and I realised the need for food over the weekend because during the week they receive meals from the school’s feeding scheme.”
She started with that one learner and bought him small groceries for over the weekend.
However, by November 2022 the need had become greater, so she decided to ask for help on social media.
“I posted on Facebook and asked for donations for the kids’ holidays. People showed up and offered donations to help.”
She said in 2023 she then officially registered FillATummy as a non-profit company.
“I then started giving out weekly food parcels to the students. Now I also do monthly donations for some of the families.”
FillATummy now feeds over 25 children and four families daily, with more than 1 400 parcels handed out so far.
“The learners and their families rely on me, I want to make them feel like normal people.
“Handing out food parcels makes my heart feel at ease that at least I have spread kindness in someone’s life.”
One of the beneficiaries of FillATummy, whose identity can’t be disclosed, said she is thankful to God for this initiative as it has helped her through the toughest time in her life.
“Simone puts so much love and effort into the food parcels, I am thankful that my three sons and I are part of this project.”
Anita Kleynhans, one of the donors to FillATummy, admired Simone’s kindness in ensuring that no child in her school goes to bed on an empty stomach.
“As a mother myself, it didn’t take long to want to contribute to the project, which has grown to more than one pupil and family. I can’t stop admiring this young lady for her humanity and love.”
Van Niekerk appealed to the community to help her make a difference in the children’s lives.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation of any kind can contact Simone at simone@fillatummy.co.za.
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