"Investing in the growth and education of small children through nutrition has to be the greatest gift of all," says Ladles of Love Founder and CEO, Danny Diliberto. 

"About half of South Africa is food insecure and UNICEF estimates that about 1.5 million (23% of) children in the country are severely under-nourished, which has serious long-term effects on their health, well-being and ability to learn. The good news is that together we are out there making a difference. Our programmes provide almost 70 pre-schools and early childhood development centres in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape with two meals five days a week and we aim to be able to increase this in the future," says Diliberto.

How South Africa Can Get Involved

Ladles of Love says that it is looking for support from both individuals and businesses: 

Individuals

A monthly or annual donation allows Ladles of Love to procure and provide healthy daily meals for small children and their teachers, to support their preschool education. By committing R250 a month, a small child will receive two nutritious meals on weekdays throughout the year. Other options to support Ladles of Love include organising a fundraiser or becoming a "love activist" volunteer. 

Companies

Companies can join the Ladles of Love Leaderboard through the 'Feed the Future' annual investment plan:

  • Tier 1: A R1.2-million investment funds 400 children a year
  • Tier 2: A R600 000 investment funds 200 children a year
  • Tier 3: A R300 000 investment funds 100 children a year, and 
  • Tier 4: A R120 000 investment funds 40 children a year. 

All donations are billable monthly or annually, and 18A Tax Certificates or SED Affidavits are provided to all donors. Ladles of Love says that for the donation, donors receive: 

  • monthly impact stories
  • recognition on the Ladles website, newsletters and social media
  • branding in the Ladles of Love warehouses
  • a motivational talk by Danny Diliberto to employees
  • a warehouse tour, and
  • a complimentary team build or field trip for a group of 20. 

Additionally, companies are also invited to encourage their employees to donate via payroll donations. 

Meet One of Our Ladles of Love Heroes

Andiswa Ncamiso, Owner and Principal of Little Conquerors in Du Noon resides in Joe Slovo Park with her husband and children. Ncamiso founded her Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre to provide the children in her community with better opportunities for future success, says the organisation. 

"Nutritious meals have made such a wonderful difference in our ECD, the fact that we have guaranteed access to food from Ladles of Love for our children during their time at school ensures that their physical growth is supported as well as their ability to learn and participate actively in class for their brain development," says Ncamiso. 

"Earlier this year, I received a call from a neighbour about a young child being left unattended at home by parents who were struggling with their personal issues. Realising the need to step in, I approached the parents kindly and offered to care for their child at no cost as part of my Early Childhood Development (ECD) practical training. They agreed, and I soon discovered the child had difficulty swallowing solid food. To help, I prepared butternut soup for him until he was able to manage solid foods." adds Ncamiso. 

His physical condition spoke volumes — often tired, unable to stand or play and showed little interest in most activities. With time, he changed: now, he eagerly helps tidy the classroom, runs around energetically and is full of life. He particularly enjoys oats, samp and beans, often asking for seconds. Seeing his transformation has been deeply rewarding," says Ncamiso. 

Stories from Parents

"I have never seen a preschool in our community that provides three meals a day, but Little Conquerors ensures our children are fed three times daily. My child never used to eat vegetables at home, but now she loves them and often tells me that her teacher serves veggies every day, explaining how they help her grow strong. We never had pasta at home, but my daughter tried it with pilchards for the first time at school and now asks for it at home. I might need to take cooking lessons from Little Conquerors because my child prefers their meals to mine," says a parent. 

"There may be times when you feel like you're not achieving what you hoped for. I can relate — I remember my twins used to dislike vegetables. But now, they love certain ones, like carrots, spinach and cabbage, which they fondly call 'the goodies' when they eat. Their favourites have even expanded to green vegetables, such as peas, spinach and peppers," concludes another parent. 

For more information, contact Jane Falck-Koeller at partnerships@ladlesoflove.org.za or visit www.LadlesofLove.org.za. You can also follow Ladles of Love on Facebook, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor