One of the key ways that Ashraful Aid helps to provide food security is through our food distribution programs. These programs provide individuals and families with the food they need to meet their daily nutritional needs. This can include everything from staple foods like rice and beans to fresh fruits and vegetables and hot meals.
Beneficiaries of our food relief programme include families in need, university students, schools, madressahs, hospitals, old age homes and other community organisations..
During the past year, over 40 000 food hampers have been distributed.
We established a dedicated kitchen in 2022 in Marlboro, Johannesburg,South Africa which has the capacity to prepare up to 3,000 meals a day. As the selected partner to provide meals for the Wits University student aid meal programme, the kitchen prepared over 100,000 meals for the Wits students in the past year.
We also established a Madressah feeding programme and a halal meal programme for Johannesburg-based hospitals with weekly meals prepared from the Ashraful Aid kitchen and by volunteers and partner organisations, as well as the provision of bread, grocery hampers, soup and other items to support Madressah and community feeding programmes.
In the past year we distributed packs of dates and water, as well as provided iftar meals.
Looking forward, we expect our food relief programme to expand further as the long-term effects of declining economic conditions, droughts, natural disasters and conflict continue to take their toll on the most vulnerable .This includes the provision of more food hamper support across South Africa and internationally, as well as expanding our Madressah and orphan feeding programmes.
One of our key areas of focus for the coming year will be to look at ways to develop a sustainable, self-sufficient and affordable community food initiative to support madressahs, schools and other community based food initiatives. This will include piloting agricultural food programmes and community based charity stores in the most vulnerable communities.
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