Fighting Hunger During COVID-19
We are all going through unprecedented and challenging times, and as it is a small NGO, DAKTARI is heavily impacted by this crisis. Schools and borders have been closed since March, thus we cannot run our onsite environmental education program. This has resulted in a significant lack of income when we still have 80+ animals in our wildlife orphanage to feed and care for. Despite the uncertainty, we are hopeful and confident that we will overcome this.
People are hungry!
However, we keep in mind that less fortunate people from the nearby communities are also suffering.
The COVID-19 lockdown has left the majority of our communities at home without any income to buy food for their families. Parents are completely distraught by not being able to quench their children’s hunger. Hence, DAKTARI has decided to address this urgent issue by fighting hunger by providing the most vulnerable families with food.
Through this initiative, we aim to:
- Fight hunger in disadvantaged communities
- Respect human dignity by avoiding people having to look for food in dustbins.
- Reduce wildlife poaching, which has increased tremendously since the beginning of the pandemic.
- Reduce the risk of violence and criminality.
What have we done so far?
We have already delivered 200 parcels to the villages of The Oaks, Finale, Enable, and Turkey. through the sponsorship of HCI Foundation and eMedia last week.
Over the last weeks, and thanks to the support of the Hoedspruit farming community we have distributed 3,500 oranges, grapefruits, and naatjies to 4 villages. Our Environmental Monitors are working hand to hand with the chiefs of the villages and also home-based carers to identify and prioritize the families who will receive a food parcel.
What’s next?
And this is just the beginning. We want to continue our efforts in giving food parcels to families who need it the most. DAKTARI’s goal is to deliver at least 500 additional food parcels to feed a family of 4 for 7 days. At least 2,000 people will benefit from this initiative.
We are also looking into ways to provide a more long-lasting impact and to make the local communities more resilient. We will do so by adding seeds to our parcels. This will come with a pamphlet explaining how to grow their own vegetables.
The distribution with 100 food parcels next week in Worcester and Mulalani. We are currently raising funds for this initiative and, if you would like to donate please click here.
We strictly follow and respect the health and safety guidelines during the distribution. Team members are wearing a mask, sanitizing hands, and social distance, to keep everyone safe and healthy!
