This month the DO MORE FOUNDATION (DMF) plans to celebrate World Food Day by bringing to life this years’ theme, ‘Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave No One Behind’ at Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across the country.
In honour of World Food Day taking place on October 16, the Foundation is planting veggie gardens, making warm chicken meals and donating JoJo tanks to various ECD centres across South Africa through their ‘Heroes’, a term they use to describe their RCL, VECTOR and Rainbow employee volunteers.
They are also calling on donations from corporates, which they will use to establish the sustainable food garden, provide the staff with training and tools to maintain the garden and provide ECD centres with their very own JoJo water tanks.
“With the generous contribution of corporate partners, we’ll not only provide the centres with nutritious meals but also teach them the importance of sustainability and self-reliance. Participating corporates will receive an S18A certificate for all tax donations,” says Iris Naidoo, Partnerships Lead at the Foundation.
This campaign is set to impact 50 ECD Centres and 5 000 young children across South Africa, including ECD Centres in Linbro Park, Malelane, Midrand, Hammarsdale, Randfontein, Centurion, Wesville, Benoni, Nelspruit, Pretoria West, Rustenburg, Tzaneen, Durban North, Pietermaritzburg, Bloemfontein, Wolwehoek, Worcester.
DMF currently provides instant Do More porridge to 28 000 children aged 5 years and under in ECD centres across various South African communities – including those in-and-around RCL FOODS production facilities.
“This year, we’re on a mission to create lasting change in the lives of young children by establishing sustainable food gardens at ECD centres in need across the country,” she says.
Adding that seeing the excitement on the children’s faces as they witness the miracle of their own food gardens taking root outweighs any tax right-off.
“With corporate donations, we’re extending an exclusive invitation for employees of contributors to roll up their sleeves and join us on World Food Day to help establish the food garden and hand over the donated water tank. It’s an opportunity for corporate teams to make a tangible impact and foster team spirit,” explains Naidoo.
To date, DMF has launched various National Young Child programmes directed at improving nutrition, early learning and providing parent/caregiver support across the country. The Foundation also facilitates several deep-rooted community-specific development projects to promote universal access to a comprehensive package of quality services to meet young children’s developmental rights and needs as outlined in the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy and Nurturing Care framework.
