Press release
Focusing on the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life, FoodForward SA (FFSA) is expanding the reach of its impactful Mother and Child Nutrition Programme, bringing vital nutritional support to a further 70 mothers, their young children and families in the Kraaifontein communities of Bloekombos and Wallacedene in Cape Town.
The programme expansion took place on Thursday, 20 August 2026, strengthening FFSA’s efforts to address malnutrition and give mothers and children the nutritional foundation they need to thrive.
In partnership with the City of Cape Town Health Department, this expansion marks the latest step in scaling the programme to improve early childhood health outcomes in under-served communities.
Designed to address malnutrition and food insecurity during the critical first 1,000 days of a child’s life, the programme provides an integrated package of support. This starts with the identification of underweight mothers and malnourished children by the local clinics, ongoing growth monitoring of their progress, nutrition education, and the provision of monthly nutritious food parcels by FoodForward SA.
This latest Cape Town rollout builds on the programme’s established success. To date, the initiative has supported 535 patients successfully completing the full nutrition intervention.
The FFSA Household Food Insecurity Report shows that the number of food-insecure people in South Africa increased to 17.8 million in 2023, with 8 million people experiencing severe food insecurity. This places young children at severe risk of stunting and lifelong cognitive developmental challenges.
“The first 1,000 days of life offer a unique, irreplaceable window of opportunity to shape a child’s future,” said Andy Du Plessis, Managing Director of FoodForward SA. “Our programme combines nutritious food support with community-based healthcare to ensure children do not just survive but thrive. By extending our footprint into Bloekombos and Wallacedene alongside our local government and community partners, we are scaling a proven model that builds healthier, more resilient households.”
Everin Van Rooyen, Head: Personal Primary Health Care, City of Cape Town, celebrated the partnership. “We are grateful for this collaboration; despite our best efforts, there are still challenges, and this initiative is an opportunity; mothers can now have more.”
Sr. Carlin November, Facility Manager of the Wallacedene Clinic, added: “We identify at-risk mothers and children and do nutrition education at the clinic, but we are not able to provide them with food; that is where FoodForward comes in”.
Above: Bukhosi Kontsiwe, FFSA National Fundraiser; Hewitt De Jager, Founder HewLin Compassion NPO; Namhla Skweyiya, FFSA Board Member; Andy Du Plessis, FFSA Managing Director; Sr. Carlin November, Facility Manager Wallacedene Clinic; Zanele Stimela, FFSA National BO Network Development Manager; Chantal Naidoo, Coordinator Health Programmes (Nutrition), City of Cape Town; Everin Van Rooyen, Head Personal Primary Health Care, City of Cape Town; Nosiphiwo Mbuzwana, HewLin Compassion NPO; Pumlani Jack, FFSA BO Coordinator
Hewitt De Jager, Founder of HewLin Compassion NPO, who will be supporting FoodForward SA in distributing the parcels to the mothers on the programme, welcomed the initiative. “Food is a powerful connector; this will restore dignity and hope in the community, and the children’s lives will be positively impacted.”
Chantal Naidoo, Coordinator: Health Programmes (Nutrition) for the City of Cape Town, said: “Moms now have the opportunity to have a healthier pregnancy and healthy babies, who will grow into healthy children.”
FFSA Board Member, Namhla Skweyiya, who also attended the event, thanked the healthcare workers involved for their personal care for the community. She reminded the mothers that there is a place for them and their babies, “…you have been entrusted with your children, to support them to fulfill their own place, and to grow to their full potential.”
The programme’s sustained impact relies on strong, community-led partnerships, including Philani Nutrition Centre in Crossroads, Philani Eastern Cape, and Grow Great in the Breede Valley and Witzenberg.
More than 1.5 million children suffer from malnutrition every year in South Africa – a stark contradiction in a country that produces more than enough food to feed its people. FoodForward SA is helping to close this gap by connecting the dots across the food supply chain, recovering nutritious surplus food from supply chain partners and redirecting it to communities where it is needed most. Combined with strategic partnerships with government and civil society organisations, this approach is helping to build an integrated ecosystem aimed at tackling the root causes of malnutrition and ultimately eradicating it in South Africa.
