The Foundation surprised Afrika Tikkun's Alef Meulenberg by donating R150,000 a month for the next 3 months for food parcels. on Trade Intelligence

The Covid-19 lockdown has exacerbated an already dire economic situation in South African as even more South Africans are going to bed hungry.

Through the Dis-Chem Random Acts of Kindness movement, CapeTalk together with the Dis-Chem Foundation, will be assisting charities with food parcels.

This Random Act of Kindness is for the Afrika Tikkun, an organisation that has been helping to empower young people for 25 years.

John Maytham speaks to Alef Meulenberg from Afrika Tikkun about the nutrition and food security work they are doing during the lockdown period

The word Tikkun is Hebrew for restitution or 'to fix', says Meulenberg. The organisation began 25 years ago in order to try and right some of the social wrongdoing from apartheid.

He explains that the Covid-19 lockdown has required them to transform the organisation currently into playing a social support service role for township communities in such dire need of food.

They have handed out to date during lockdown 50,000 food parcels, produced 100,000 masks and distributed sanitiser packs, as well as worked with numerous organisations to provide emergency relief in townships.

Meulenberg says the programme is going well though it has presented some challenges such as protecting staff against the virus and social unrest at times, as well as distributing food without creating long queues as well as allowing those receiving food to have some choice and thereby maintain dignity.

"It has been really encouraging to see the response from corporate partners as well as from the community."
Alef Meulenberg - Afrika Tikkun

The Dis-Chem Foundation's small team was enormously concerned about increasing numbers of people facing starvation and partnered with Afrika Tikkun to assist.

"We noticed how many people were starving in South Africa and this didn't sit very well with us."
Sherry Saltzman - Dis-Chem Foundation

"We decided to approach Afrika Tikkun and ask them to assist us in feeding people throughout South Africa."
Sherry Saltzman - Dis-Chem Foundation

And we would like to give Afrika Tikkun R150,000 to make food parcels for these people so they don't have to starve and there is a little bit of hope for them going through this very difficult time.

Sherry Saltzman - Dis-Chem Foundation
Sherry Saltzman then surprised Afrika Tikkun's grateful Alef Meulenberg by adding that they are so concerned with the situation that they will be donating R150,000 a month for the next three months to Afrika Tikkun for food parcels.