In South Africa’s rural areas, food security remains a critical problem.1 The rising inflation and cost of living has sent food prices up to the roof meaning most people do not eat healthy.2 Many South African citizens who live below the poverty line or on social grants can’t afford food.3 Malnutrition is a huge risk.4 Some elderly pensioners with large households have a difficulty affording food for the loved ones under their care.5 The Younger ones are unable to attend school and the older children are unable to find work.6 Due to the fact that food in rural areas are hard to come by, many families skip meals.7 Stunted growth remains a serious problem.8
The risk is these families fall victim to loan sharks, as a result of them not having enough money to buy food, relying on subsistence farming, and having to pay exorbitant fees for rising electricity and water.9 The government has yet to come up with a plan to rectify all this. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as FoodForward SA have now taken on the role of providers.10
FoodForward SA’s message is: Reduce Waste, Repurpose the Surplus, Relieve Hunger. The organisation said statistics showed that one-third of food in South Africa got dumped, while more than 30 million people experienced food insecurity. The organisation sources, collects and stores edible surplus food from the supply chain – farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers – and redistributes the food to its large network of vetted beneficiary organisations across the country. “This we call surplus food, but the industry calls it ‘waste’. And there’s a huge opportunity here, not only to feed people, not only to create better access to food, but to look at income generation opportunities.”Out of that, at least five million tonnes of surplus food can be harvested and collected in time, to make sure that we create jobs for youth and women,” said Du Plessis. FoodForward SA supports 2,750 registered charities across South Africa every month, and via those charities, food reaches almost a million people per day. In the Western Cape alone, about 650 beneficiary organisations receive support and collect parcels on a scheduled basis throughout the month, while parcels get transported to charities in rural communities. “We are not just a feeding programme, we are very strategic about where the food goes, so we pick organisations that focus on education, skills development, youth, abused women, orphans and vulnerable children and healthcare beneficiary organisations,” Du Plessis explained. (The Cost of Food Security: Why many South Africans can’t wait to eat healthily)
Donate to our feeding schemes to those desperate for food and basic needs. Even R10 for the sake of Allah may be a means of barakat.
Rasulullah ﷺ said, ” Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties of the Hereafter.”
In South Africa’s rural areas, food security remains a critical problem.1 The rising inflation and cost of living has sent food prices up to the roof meaning most people do not eat healthy.2 Many South African citizens who live below the poverty line or on social grants can’t afford food.3 Malnutrition is a huge risk.4 Some elderly pensioners with large households have a difficulty affording food for the loved ones under their care.5 The Younger ones are unable to attend school and the older children are unable to find work.6 Due to the fact that food in rural areas are hard to come by, many families skip meals.7 Stunted growth remains a serious problem.8
The risk is these families fall victim to loan sharks, as a result of them not having enough money to buy food, relying on subsistence farming, and having to pay exorbitant fees for rising electricity and water.9 The government has yet to come up with a plan to rectify all this. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as FoodForward SA have now taken on the role of providers.10
FoodForward SA’s message is: Reduce Waste, Repurpose the Surplus, Relieve Hunger. The organisation said statistics showed that one-third of food in South Africa got dumped, while more than 30 million people experienced food insecurity. The organisation sources, collects and stores edible surplus food from the supply chain – farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers – and redistributes the food to its large network of vetted beneficiary organisations across the country. “This we call surplus food, but the industry calls it ‘waste’. And there’s a huge opportunity here, not only to feed people, not only to create better access to food, but to look at income generation opportunities.”Out of that, at least five million tonnes of surplus food can be harvested and collected in time, to make sure that we create jobs for youth and women,” said Du Plessis. FoodForward SA supports 2,750 registered charities across South Africa every month, and via those charities, food reaches almost a million people per day. In the Western Cape alone, about 650 beneficiary organisations receive support and collect parcels on a scheduled basis throughout the month, while parcels get transported to charities in rural communities. “We are not just a feeding programme, we are very strategic about where the food goes, so we pick organisations that focus on education, skills development, youth, abused women, orphans and vulnerable children and healthcare beneficiary organisations,” Du Plessis explained. (The Cost of Food Security: Why many South Africans can’t wait to eat healthily)