Zimele Mobile Kitchen Campaign

Of the 59 million people in South Africa, 20 million children under the age of 18 make up more than a third of the total population, of which 2.9 million are orphans. KwaZulu-Natal province has the second largest population in South Africa, with 11.3 million people living in 2.9 million households. The province accounts for 4.2 million children of which 17% are orphans who have lost a mother, a father or both parents. The poorest households carry the greatest burden of care for orphans. Close to half (48%) of all orphans are resident in the poorest 20% of households.

The orphaned and vulnerable children in KwaZulu-Natal, who are often left to fend for themselves, go hungry without proper sources of nutrition. While the Zimele women already pool together their own savings to provide weekly hot meals for some orphans and home bound neighbors through a local soup kitchen and occasional food parcels, it can become difficult to do so at times as they often are depleted of income to take care of their own families.

Recognizing that the women of these villages/communities are using their entrepreneur abilities to become the source of care for these children, we are launching a new initiative to empower the women of Zimele in their efforts to sustain their communities by setting up and running their own business. Our mission with this campaign is to raise funds to supply the women with mobile kitchens that will increase their ability to make a sustainable income. This also benefits the farmers and other local sources that provide the produce – making this purpose multifold and beneficial to the entire community. Most importantly, this would create 2 meals per day (weekly) when there is a soup kitchen set up for the orphans, ensuring access to much needed nutrition in keeping them healthy and happy.

Given the current exchange rate, each mobile kitchen will cost approximately $5000 USD, and our goal of $30,000 would provide 6 different villages/communities with a new opportunity to further develop their sustainability. This initiative will impact the rural villages/communities of KwaZulu-Natal in an extraordinary manner, by giving ownership to those that might never have the chance in their lifetime otherwise. We ask you to support this mission through your unique network and influence to help bring transformation across the globe.

Every dollar will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support! To donate, please visit this Facebook link here. Facebook pays all the processing fees for you, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofit.