Success of AFFT recipe book ensures that vulnerable children are fed
Johannesburg-based children’s charity, Africa Food For Thought (AFFT), has raised R60 000 since launching its recipe book and has used the funds towards its second print run with an overall objective to raise R1-million. The funds raised will be used to purchase a much needed new premises as they are in need of more space to enable the charity to feed more schools, and crèches as well as orphaned and child-headed families.
Based in a rented three-bedroom residential property in Florida, AFFT runs feeding projects at twelve schools and nine crèches, feeding more than 11 000 children per day and 75 Orphaned Vulnerable Children (OVCs) on its programme. The AFFT is also involved with a number of community self-help and empowerment projects that all benefit underprivileged children. Due to the increase in demand for its much-needed services, the charity is beginning to run out of space at its current premises.
Since the launch of the AFFT recipe book, which consists of 130 tried and tested family recipes, AFFT has received a significant amount of exposure on a number of radio stations, including; Highveld Stereo, Metro FM, Talk Radio 702, Radio Pulpit and UJ FM. Well-known local actress Samkelo Ndlovu was chosen to be an ambassador for the AFFT recipe book and was interviewed on Sisterhood, a South African youth talk show which forms part of e.tv's Craz-e programming block and is targeted at a female audience.
What’s more, two recipe books were auctioned live on air on 94.7 Highveld Stereo, where an additional R10 000 was raised by the highest bidder, who was awarded a dinner for two at the Michelangelo Hotel with well-known radio personality Pabi Moloi. The exposure has also resulted in more people coming forward to assist as volunteers, with the charity receiving a number of donations from anonymous donors.
AFFT co-founder and CEO Debbie Higgs points out that an annual golf day will be hosted in October at Randpark Ridge Country Club in an effort to raise more funds and help the charity grow even further. “We raised R50 000 last year and are hoping to double that amount with this year’s event.”
Higgs explains how the charity first started getting involved with orphaned and vulnerable children. “One of the schools involved in the feeding project is Thembile Primary School. One afternoon as the Headmaster of the school, Hubert Matrose was teaching a class, he noticed a young boy holding his pocket as if there was something very precious inside it. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the young boy to show him what was in his pocket and the boy pulled out a boiled egg that had been given to him for lunch. The little boy explained that his mother was unwell and he was taking the egg home to give to her,” says Higgs.
It is then that AFFT realised that one meal a day at school was not enough for many children who were in vulnerable situations, and that is how the orphan and vulnerable ministry was started. It began with just four households, and is now reaching over 70 households. “An option to sponsor a family is also available by donating R385 either via debit order or paying directly into the AFFT bank account every month. An OVC team leader will conduct monthly visits and drop off the food parcel consisting of mealie meal, rice, pasta, tin food and toiletries. A report on the family’s wellbeing is given to the sponsor after every three months,” Higgs concludes.
Anyone interested in purchasing the AFFT recipe book can contact Africa Food For Thought on (011) 472 5727 or 084 505 9020 or log on to www.afft.org.za to order online.
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Notes to the editor
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za
About AFFT
Africa Food for Thought is a non-profit organisation, run by volunteers, which is essentially focused on equipping and supplying school feeding programmes aimed at primary schools in informal settlements like Soweto, Slovoville and Kagiso, where the food provided there is often the children’s only meal of the day. We are also involved in a number of community projects, self-help/empowerment projects. Our aim is to help those who need it the most: the vulnerable and marginalised. Our vision is ‘to feed children in the name of Christ, in order to bring hope to the hopeless’
AFFT Contact
Debbie Higgs
AFFT CEO
Phone: (011) 764 5283
Cell: 084 505 9020
Email: debbiehiggs02 [at] gmail [dot] com 02 rather than 03!
Web: www.afft.org.za
Media Contact
Kelly Farthing
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867-7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 079 367 7889
Email: kelly [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za