The extended and indefinite lockdown due to Covid-19 has affected many, particularly in poor communities relying on school feeding schemes for children. Luckily, a local feeding programme is now able to keep this initiative running in the Western Cape’s West Coast areas.

Through private funding and permission granted by the department of social development, the Peninsula School Feeding Programme (PSFP) received authorisation, in line with the national lockdown regulations, to continue serving cooked meals at schools during the Covid-19 lockdown.

This programme includes food relief support for Early Childhood Development (ECD) playgroups and ECD centres, including young children and their families, where playgroup leaders are funded by the Umoya Wind Farm.

In addition, Umoya has funded other school feeding schemes in the surrounding WCoast areas; these include Louwville High School in Vredenburg, as well as Middelpos Primary School in Saldanha Bay.

This initiative is helping more than 400 pupils who come from vulnerable backgrounds, providing them with breakfast and lunch for the remainder of the school year calendar during the lockdown period. The programme is assisted by two PFSP volunteers who help prepare the food and are funded by Middelpos Primary.

The programme, which began in February 2019, helps ensures that children have increased opportunities to quality learning and caring programmes. The parents who are trained as Playgroup leaders receive a stipend and provide a meal each day for up to 100 children participating in these formalised playgroups.

“We are pleased to be able to provide much-needed support to our surrounding communities by engaging local NPO partners, as well as Sector Government Departments, during these extraordinary times that are crippling communities across the country,” says Umoya Energy Wind Farm’s community operations manager, Celiwe Mabaso.

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