Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, we are providing meal packs for the families of children in the songo.info programme and as many of the broader Kayamandi community as we can.
Our educational and sport programme supports the Kayamandi community. This township is a dense combination of shacks and small houses. There is a high level of unemployment; many of the folk who are lucky enough to be employed are in informal or casual positions, which makes them particularly vulnerable during lockdown because they will not have money to buy food.
Amongst the songo.info parent group, specifically, the majority were required to take unpaid leave for the duration of Covid-19 lockdown. Many will not have jobs to go back to.
We have partnered with the Pebbles Kitchen to provide each family with enough basic ingredients to feed a family for a week. The cost of each pack is around R200 (a little over $10), and we foresee the need to be assisting with this well beyond the lifting of lockdown.
A well-nourished community has a better chance of being resilient to the onslaught of this highly contagious virus.
While the songo.info programme is focused on education, sport and life skills, we cannot ignore the extra layers of crisis that averting the pandemic will deliver. Ensuring that the families have food is a small practical step that we can take.
With the extension of the lockdown period, as well as uncertain economic conditions when parts of the economy eventually start going back to work, the expectation is that we could be assisting songo families with food for several months. Given that we just don’t know which direction this will all go, we need to prepare for contingencies. Plus, the needs in the greater Kayamandi community are considerable.
Therefore, we have taken the decision to keep the campaign open, even though the first few days’ donations provided sufficient funding to cover the most immediate needs of the songo families. In addition, we have now started to assist the broader Kayamandi community. Our role in Kayamandi, over the past 12 years, is such that we must respond to the needs on our doorstep.
Thank you for helping us to make that happen.
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