Happy Holidays and 2023 Review
Feeding the Children of the World
We’re happy to report that 2023 has been a very good year for Ubuntu Mundo, and we are excited about the year ahead. We continue to pursue our mission to feed the children of the world. This year our feeding program grew from 450 children to 600 children daily, we served a total of 115,000 meals, and we planted the seeds for future growth and sustainability.
South Africa’s challenges
The after-effects of Covid are evident and profound everywhere in South Africa. More than 80% of children in rural South Africa live in poverty, and the region where we operate has an unemployment rate of around 70%. Lack of nutritious food for children in South Africa remains a major problem, which has a direct impact on children’s health, school performance, and future opportunities. Ubuntu Mundo’s focus on growing organic vegetables and serving healthy meals is a simple and effective method to improve lives.
The Ubuntu Mundo Formula: Feeding and Farming
The Feeding Projects
Our main project in Bodlayabongolo is a welcoming place with lush organic gardens and hot meals served every day. Our team in both the kitchen and the garden are hardworking, knowledgeable, and incredibly caring, and the gardens produce the onions, beetroot, carrots, cabbage, and spinach used in all the meals we serve. Our experience in developing the project site, improving the gardens, and building the right team of people is our blueprint for future projects.
Commercial Farming and Sustainability
It has long been the goal of Ubuntu Mundo to make its programs self-sustainable. This year, with the guidance of experienced local farmers and experts, and on land provided by local supporters, we launched our first commercial farming activities. This initiative is intended to create a revenue stream to fund our feeding projects and future growth, with the added benefit of creating jobs in the community. On August 1, we planted 18,000 green pepper plants, and the initial results are very encouraging. Plans to expand our farming capacity to build on this early success are underway.
Planned Growth
In 2024 we will expand into a new community – Bolla Tau – a neighboring village where thousands of children live in poverty. Land has been identified, and we will establish the same type of kitchen and garden as in Bodlayabongolo. Our goal is to increase the number of children fed each day to 1,000 by the end of 2024.
We will continue to extend our reach to feed more children, supported by a growing program of commercial farming. In all we do, we start with food, to improve children’s lives, and create sustainable operations, empowering entire communities.