Non-profit organisation, Zero2Five Trust recently started a operation that goes beyond food parcels by addressing food security through supporting different Early Childhood Development centres in the province.
The Kloof based NPO Chief Executive Officer, Julika Falconer, said that high levels of food insecurity due to the April floods, Covid-19 lockdowns, inaccessibility of meals, high levels of unemployment and widespread poverty is a daily reality of the most vulnerable residents.
“Vital early learning, which had suffered during the Covid-19 lockdown was at risk of being lost again as some pre-schools initially remained closed. This affected children who had lost everything at their homes and were unable to return to school. Our initial response was a large scale assessment clean-up operation and the distribution of food donations and warm blankets in eThekwini. This included thousands of residents who were without safe drinking water due to the floods. Rise Against Hunger KZN assisted with much-needed ten litre containers of drinking water. The second phase was to ensure that all 350 unfunded Early Childhood Development (ECD) sites on our nutrition programme were open and offering a safe and comforting environment for the children enrolled,.” Said Falconer.
Falconer also said that through the sponsors, they have managed to repair 22 playgrounds and installed gyms as these help children with brain and body development.
“Our contractor for all playgrounds, Jungle Gems Hillcrest, repaired 22 playgrounds in eThekwini and replaced two broken ones. Smashed plastic furniture was replaced and PVC covered mattresses supplied in Durban. 20 000 books for ECD centres were sourced, all full of inspiring stories of hope and upliftment. Story time at school will be the only trauma counselling that most children in KZN have access to. With the prompt and very generous support received, we are so grateful to be able to go beyond providing food parcels and vastly improve food security at these ECD centres for generations to come. With our recent opening of satellite offices, we are now able to implement a large scale ECD food garden projects to better safeguard communities against the effects of climate change with the goal of securing a brighter future for every child. This is all thanks to immediate relief grants from the LEGO Foundation, DGMT, Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, Standard Bank’s Tutuwa Foundation, JT Ross Charitable Trust, Illovo Sugar SA and the Grindrod Family Centenary Trust,” added Falconer.
