Zikhona Mtwa
His Grace Soup and Safety Home located in Mt Ayliff Chithwa village serves as a beacon of hope and kindness in the community. It stands as a testament to the power of empathy and human connection, proving that a warm meal can do more than just fill a stomach—it can also fill hearts with love and understanding. Through Mama uMakhalima's vision and dedication, the soup kitchen continues to make a profound difference in the lives of those it serves, offering sustenance, support, and a sense of belonging to all who walk through its doors.
Hunger Crisis
In late 2023, a tragic incident in Lusikisiki sent shockwaves through the Eastern Cape Province: a mother, driven by extreme poverty and despair, took the lives of her three children and herself using rat poison (Ellis & Jubase, 2023). The heartbreaking event, attributed to overwhelming hopelessness, sparked widespread sorrow and outrage on social media as people struggled to comprehend the depth of the family's suffering. Many expressed sympathy for the mother and her children, mourning the lives lost to circumstances that seemed insurmountable. This event, and similar events that followed shortly after, led to a full investigation into child malnutrition and hunger by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), who recommended that the hunger crisis be declared a state of disaster by the national and provincial government and that a dedicated war room should be established and centralised in the office of the premier (Ellis, 2023).
Government Response
In response to the growing malnutrition crisis, the Department of Social Development (DSD), South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and the Eastern Cape Department of Education outlined recommendations to tackle hunger and malnutrition. Among these were proposals to increase the Child Support Grant above the food poverty line, currently R624 per month per person—significantly higher than the current grant of R480 per child. Additionally, the Department of Home Affairs is encouraged to target unregistered children to expand assistance, while the Department of Basic Education (DBE) aims to enhance learning and access to education by providing nutritious meals through the National School Nutrition Programme in quintile 1-3 schools.
The Eastern Cape Human Rights Commission (2023) further recommended expanding the National School Nutrition Programme to Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, improving ECD subsidies, and providing meals during weekends and holidays. They also suggested promoting breastfeeding through supplementary programs and emphasised the need for multi-sectoral collaboration, including NGOs and local governments, to address malnutrition comprehensively. This report also higlighted that the province should focus on establishing nutrition-focused clinics, supporting small-scale farmers, and implementing community gardens to enhance food security.
However, while these strategies appear well-conceived, some argue that simply increasing financial support will not solve the deeper issues at hand. Policy makers and food security experts need to work to develop more comprehensive understandings of the complex factors contributing to malnutrition as financial interventions alone are unlikely to lead to sustainable solutions.
Stories of Hope
In August 2021, His Grace Soup Kitchen & Safety Home opened its doors in Mt Ayliff’s Chithwa village, in response to the growing challenges faced by the local community, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mama uMakhalima, a retired nurse and one of the founders, shared that the initiative began as a dream—a dream to create a place where no one would go hungry, where individuals struggling to put food on the table would find comfort in a warm, nourishing meal. Driven by this vision, Mama uMakhalima and her dedicated team transformed the idea into reality.
Figure 1: School Children from Mt Ayliff Chithwa village school receiving lunch from His Grace Soup Kitchen & Safety Home (May 2024)
Since its inception, the soup kitchen has become a vital lifeline for many families facing hardship. It operates twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, serving cooked meals to around 80 to 100 individuals, regardless of age or circumstance. Mama uMakhalima emphasises that the soup kitchen is more than just a place to eat—it’s a refuge where people find companionship, laughter, and, most importantly, dignity. In this safe environment, the barriers and judgments often associated with poverty fade away, replaced by empathy and acceptance. Mama uMakhalima describes it as a place of compassion and solidarity, where individuals find solace in knowing they are not alone in their struggles.
Conclusion
In the case of His Grace Soup Kitchen & Safety Home it is clear that the impact of a soup kitchen extends far beyond the walls of its dining hall. By addressing immediate hunger in Mount Ayliff, this establishment plays a crucial role in preventing malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and individuals experiencing homelessness. These establishments, often run by dedicated volunteers and local organizations, provide nourishment not only for the body but also for the soul.
References
Ellis, E. 2023. Child malnutrition in the Eastern Cape ‘qualifies as a disaster’. Daily Maverick. Retrieved from https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-09-child-malnutrition-in-the-eastern-cape-qualifies-as-a-disaster/ (Accessed: 15 March)
Eastern Cape Provincial Office. 2022. SAHRC Provincial Inquiry into Child Malnutrition and the Right to Food EC/2122/0409/.
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