Growing children need to eat. But as unemployment continues to soar in South Africa, more families are pushed below the breadline and into extreme poverty. The groans of young learners amplify, eating away at their concentration, productivity, and health. Without nourishment, they are starved of a bright future. Coming from a poverty-stricken household, Yasmine Abrahams was far too familiar with this indelible ache. “I know what it's like to be hungry and I don’t want any kid to feel that,” she says.
Abrahams launched the Jabulani Feeding Scheme in the ‘80s to fill empty stomachs with the hope she never had. With the help of volunteers and donations, she serves home-cooked food to over 400 school children every day. Abrahams’ scheme operates from several repurposed shipping containers that are nestled between the council homes in Parkwood, Cape Town. Here, children eagerly line up to devour her delicious bowls of brain food, from samp and beans to dhal and rice. “A warm meal goes beyond the stomach; it helps these kids learn better,” Abrahams says.
Teeming with nutrients and stirred with love, these meals have given students the strength to excel in the classroom and fuelled healthy appetites for education. While schools are temporarily closed, Abrahams continues to provide for the kids who depend on her. “I feel very blessed to fill a tummy and it makes me happy that I can see the smiles on their faces when they’re full,” she says. Her feeding scheme remains a testament to the power of love and support, proving that a few mouthfuls can change a life.
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