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By: Lauren Human

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is waging a war against poverty and hunger, and every week there are hundreds of residents falling under vulnerable groups who are receiving a cooked, nutritious meal.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality last year launched its War on Hunger campaign, spearheaded by the Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile.

The Municipality has dedicated R10 million to the project, which has taken off in fve wards in the city and caters for more than 7 000 poverty stricken people all over the city. The Municipality supplies fresh vegetables and foodstuffs to the sites, whereby volunteers from the community cook a meal for the benefciaries from Monday to Friday. The benefciaries are mainly children under 10 years old, children from child-headed homes, the elderly, persons with disabilities and those who are receiving TB and Anti-Retroviral Treatment for HIV/AIDS.

The War on Hunger campaign is currently operational in KwaZakhele, KwaNoxolo, Chatty, Kuyga and Motherwell, and recently

launched in Veeplaas and KwaNobuhle in Uitenhage.

Although the volunteers who prepare the food on a daily basis are not paid stipends, they were registered through the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) as co-operatives, and they will also be assisted with training in business, fnancial management, governance and technical skills training. Other partners of the campaign include various departments of government, who are called in to assist the benefciaries by staging interventions such as disability grants, Smme & Cooperative development, Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) and skills development.

The process of selecting benefciaries took place through a consultative process, and the Municipality hosted numerous informative sessions with the communities to explain the details of the War on Hunger programme and ask for volunteers.

The Municipality works hand-in-hand with ECDC who makes use of Finro Cash & Carry as the supplier of food, The weekly menu for the War on Hunger campaign, which has been approved by a nutritionist as a balanced meal, include meals that consist of samp and

beans and vegetables, or rice and beef stew and vegetables, or pasta and mince and vegetables , or potatoes, vegetables and chicken.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Council Chief Whip, Cllr Feziwe Sibeko, who along with other Mayoral Committee Councillors paid site visits, said they were impressed with the progress of the programme.

“Within a short space of time it has managed to provide daily meals to thousands of people who did not have any hope of a meal. The standard and quality of the food provided bring dignity to our people. We are pleased as the leadership,” said Cllr Sibeko.

She suggested that the programme explore ways to expand their resources to accommodate more people.

“We need businesses to assist, so that we can cover more ground, not only with providing food but also offering skills development. Our people can’t continue to receive free meals for the rest of their lives. They need to be given skills so that they can learn to become self sustainable,” said Cllr Sibeko.

AMEALA DAY

GIVES HOPE FORTHE FUTURE

Nelson Mandela Bay Council Speaker, Cllr Maria Hermans (far right), Chief Whip Cllr Feziwe Sibeko (second from right) and Portfolio Chairperson for Sport, Recreation, Arts & Culture, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe (far left) assist volunteers to prepare a meal at one of the War on Hunger sites. Picture: Riaan Labuschagne