As April arrives, so does the uncertainty. Frighteningly, fuel has turned into liquid gold ahead of Easter weekend, just when families are travelling long distances to gather in gratitude.
Whilst we all grapple with this curve ball, let’s hear from Yolanda Jones, our Nourish Our Children Programme Director, as she shares heartfelt stories of food, hope and love.
“This time of year invites reflection on the power of sacrifice, compassion, and choosing others above ourselves.
Across our communities, we see these values lived out daily, not in grand gestures, but in quiet, consistent acts of care. Everyday in our centres, we see this in action by women showing up, not justfor their own children but for children who need them.
In the last three months, we expanded our reach, onboarding 91 new preschools across the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, each centre bringing new stories of resilience, sacrifice, and hope. Caregivers rise as early as 4am to receive the first child of the day, often still fast asleep, held gently and closely for comfort.
We’ve entered into communities where many do not go due to high crime rates, that leaves so many children who desperately need our help being overlooked. In Eldorado Park, carers have stepped into difficult spaces, lifting children from their mothers’ laps in shebeens, reassuring them that fees do not matter, their child’s safety does.
In Wrenchville, caregivers carry the additional responsibility of supporting children with disabilities, ensuring that no child is left behind simply because their needs are greater. In Kraaifontein, Mitchells Plain, Observatory, Alexander, Soweto, Bonteheuwel and in Langa children who would not have had the opportunity to gain access to proper nutrition, are now assured two nutritious meals a day.
These children enter our programme severely underweight, with bones piercing through fragile bodies, while others arrive overweight, struggling to walk a few steps without becoming breathless. Can you imagine what their future would be without this intervention? Today, in many of these communities, obesity is becoming more prevalent than undernutrition, a clear indication that access to food does not always mean access to the right nutrition.
Yet, through structured meals, consistent care, and ongoing support to both caregivers and parents, we are witnessing transformation. Children are gaining strength. Energy is returning. Confidence is growing. Parents are learning.
Behind this, is the quiet daily sacrifice of caregivers who are choosing to nurture, to teach, and to love children as their own and with the unwavering commitment of Ladles of Love, they are knocking on every door to ensure no child is left behind.
They cook.
They feed.
They comfort.
They carry.
Not because they have to but because they choose to. And in that choice, lives are changed.
This is the story of our Nourish Our Children programme – not just food, but love in action. And in these moments of care and compassion, we are seeing transformation unfold before our very eyes. Changing a child, a community, and ultimately, our world.”
Your support of Ladles of Love means, you too are the change and for this, we thank you. ❤️
With abundant blessings to you and your family,
