Holiday programmes in KwaZulu-Natal: Zero2Five Trust addresses child hunger and safety concerns
Children playing football at one of the holiday programmes.
Image: Supplied
When the schools close for the year, many of KwaZulu-Natal’s youngest children face the harsh reality of hunger for the next six weeks.
They rely on meals provided at schools and often go hungry during the summer holidays. To counter this charity Zero2Five Trust will be running holiday programmes for children in KwaZulu-Natal.
The children will receive breakfast and lunch, enjoy fun and educational activities and will also take home a 5l bucket containing food to help their families.
According to the South African Early Childhood Review 2024, nearly five million children under six live in households that cannot meet their basic needs with almost half (49%) of KZN children experiencing some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country.
This results in ongoing malnutrition, stunting and developmental delays.
“Food security is declining all the time. It is scary how basic food items have become ridiculously expensive. Although an extra 5kg bag of porridge doesn't seem like much, it translates into 100 meals for a young child over the six-week school holiday period. I would imagine it all gets split amongst siblings and maybe even the elderly, but I welcome knowing that we are helping impoverished households,” says Jodi Pons, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Zero2Five Trust.
Another major concern is safety with incidents of neglected children that emerged during the 2024 holiday season from households where caretakers were working and young children were left in the “supervision” of their older siblings.
“We open our four venues for children who are normally not looked after. This is a big problem for parents who still go to work in December. Schools close as early as November 20 and they have to make sure that their children are safe. It’s one thing having older siblings, but they have friends stopping by and often this is not a safe environment for young children,” she said.
At the holiday clubs, Zero2Five provides breakfast, a snack and lunch and then hosts a school day filled with games, entertainment and supervised play.
During 2024, the Zero2Five Holiday Programme reached over 530 children and distributed nutritional support to about 4 000 families.
Special ‘Lovebox’ gifts, packed by learners from Thomas More College provided gifts for 450 children. In addition, volunteer caretakers – who also assist Zero2Five with preschool activities during the school year – receive a stipend for their help.
An improved Holiday Club Programme over 2025/26 December-January will, for first time, include a storytelling course for caretakers and will provide 500 buckets of fresh produce for poor families. Each bucket will include a large cabbage and 1 kg packs of onions, potatoes, carrots, apples, and pears which will be delivered to centres in uThukela, uMgungundlovu and uMlazi.
Pons thanked all partners that support the programme including the Victor Daitz Foundation and funders from as far afield as Germany.