4 children will die from severe acute malnutrition today in South Africa. Child hunger is a stark reality for children in South African townships, and attending to this challenge is of the utmost importance if we want this generation to grow, learn and fulfill their potential. Help Afrika Tikkun end hunger in South Africa on World Hunger Day, 28 May, knowing your gift will help us provide nutritious and healthy meals to growing children and young people.
Malnutrition is a significant public health challenge in South Africa and in particular for children ages 0-6. Without a healthy and nutritious diet, the child is robbed of mental and physical well-being. In South Africa, 1 in 5 children are stunted, 1 in 10 children are underweight, close to 5% of children suffer from wasting and consequently face a markedly increased risk of death. Recent findings indicated that child malnutrition and hunger leads to a significant loss of life in South Africa.
Afrika Tikkun Nutrition and Food Security Program is highly targeted so as to discourage dependency. The immediate focus of the program is to alleviate hunger, through the provision of freshly prepared nutritionally sound meals each day.Our menu is developed by dietitians who work very closely with our nurses from the Primary Health Care Program. Additionally, young people, parents, and staff learn the principles of vegetable gardening and are allowed to use our agricultural land to cultivate.
To ensure resilience, our vegetable gardens are sites of cultivating sustainable food security for families - and in particular those that are food-vulnerable. There are compelling moral, humanitarian and long-term developmental reasons for investing in food assistance programs. Access to food is a fundamental human requirement that is enshrined both in international and national law. Food security at a national and household level is paramount to ensure long-term productivity of a nation.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
