Every World Hunger Month, the Add Hope campaign raises awareness about hunger and malnutrition, encouraging an increase in donations which go to feed 120 000 children in need through partnerships with 137 local and national NGOs nationwide. During the month of October, including World Food Day on 16th October, R5.83 million was raised for Add Hope.
KFC Africa Public Affairs Director, Thabisa Mkhwanazi, says “On behalf of each of the 120 000 children all over South Africa that Add Hope feeds, we’d like to say thank you to all South Africans who donated and continue to donate. We really appreciate every donation and as KFC, we also continue to increase our own CSI contributions. Together, we can give children a chance to learn, grow and thrive.”
Mkhwanazi says the numbers tell a powerful story and show how Add Hope has been able to go from feeding 40 000 children in 2009, to over 120 000 today. “Add Hope has now raised over R400-million through KFC and customer donations combined. It’s really remarkable how donations from customers keep increasing every year, from R6.2 million in 2010 to R38.6 million in 2016. We’re on track to reach R43million in customer donations this year, and your generous contributions during World Hunger Month will get us there.”
This year’s World Hunger Month campaign focused on the message – hope is stronger than hunger. “We’re exploring how better nutrition in early childhood can have a lasting impact on physical, cognitive and social development, giving the next generation hope by unlocking potential and boosting prosperity. Good nutrition is the single most important factor in creating a better future for our children. When you add hope, you give a child so much more than food.”
A number of celebrities took to social media and the airwaves to lend their voices to the Hope against Hunger Challenge after visiting Mould Empower Serve (MES) in Hillbrow to experience how essential good nutrition is for the development of physical, psychosocial and cognitive skills. The pre-school chess champs challenged Proverb, Wanda Hartley, Hayley Owen and Nicole da Silva, while the young soccer stars enjoyed a penalty shoot-out with Sthembiso Khoza and DJ Sabby. Smash Afrika, Nunu Khumalo and Tema Sebopedi engaged with the little ones over creative crafts.
Radio personality Nicole da Silva says, “If you get overwhelmed with all the poverty in this country and how many children need food and a place of safety, please know that Add Hope makes it easy for us all to assist with feeding, nurturing and assisting social and behavioural development, every day.” Add Hope ambassador, SK Khoza, says, “Over 4 million children live in the poorest 40% of homes in South Africa and risk going hungry. It’s easy for us to know, but we need to acknowledge this reality. Hungry children suffer from anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Let’s build their confidence! Add Hope is a simple way to help.”
“The key to the success of Add Hope is bringing our customers, our team members and our beneficiaries together behind the common cause of fighting hunger,” says Mkhwanazi. “Please remember that you can Add Hope all year round. Your R2 fills 120 000 children with hope.”
To find out more about Add Hope, visit www.addhope.co.za
#AddHope
About Add Hope:
Add Hope, a powerful initiative that sees KFC customers and staff unite in the fight against hunger, has now reached the milestone of feeding 120 000 children around the country nutritious meals, every day, through supporting sustainable feeding programmes at a growing list of 137 beneficiary organisations.
Add Hope raises money through customer donations added at the till or on the Add Hope website, as well as donating a percentage of KFC profits as its own Corporate Social Responsibility contribution. In 2016, Add Hope raised R39 million, with every cent of customer R2 donations going towards feeding children. Over the past seven years, Add Hope has raised close to R400 million with KFC corporate social responsibility donations and customer donations combined.
About KFC:
KFC is part of Yum! Brands, Inc., the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 117 countries and 1.4 million company and franchise associates. Yum! is ranked #214 on the Fortune 500 List, with revenues of more than $12 billion in 2011. KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain, specialising and famous for its Original Recipe®. The secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices was first developed in 1940 and the same recipe is still used across the world today.
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