Durban — Cereal-producing company Futurelife will be partnering with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to celebrate Madiba Month by fighting hunger.
A joint statement released by both the foundation and the company said that more than 5 million meals would be distributed to vulnerable children.
The company would also build a preschool facility. To help deliver on this ambitious plan, the foundation and the company said they were inviting all South Africans to join them in this much-needed initiative.
Futurelife managing director Mark Bunn said the harsh reality was that malnutrition and hunger were a constant for many of South Africa’s children, adding that in fact, alarmingly, 4.6 million of the nation’s children would go to bed hungry tonight. He said that through this new partnership, Futurelife was making sure that this figure changed, and fast.
“Futurelife is a brand that believes in health, hope and happiness and that all people should have access to these through good nutrition.
“Our partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation Early Childhood Development Programme will allow us to pursue this vision, and will help us reach the children who will really benefit from our smart nutrition,” said Bunn.
Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang, who was excited about the partnership with Futurelife, said he considered this initiative an opportunity for South Africans to truly reflect on the essence of Mandela Day.
“Our appeal to South Africans in this year’s Nelson Mandela Day is to do what we can with what we have, where we are. We hope this partnership between the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Futurelife will provide over 1 million meals of essential nutrition to children in early childhood development centres across the nation so they, too, can thrive. Futurelife has a long track record of supporting nutrition, especially for young children in preschool,” said Hatang.
Bunn said the partnership was the start of an ongoing relationship through which Futurelife would be creating a sustainable programme to reach more children in need with highly nutritious food.
He added that while Futurelife may be spearheading this drive, “the need is so great that during Mandela Month, we are asking all South Africans to get involved, to play their part in changing the lives of our nation’s children”.
Daily News