Starfish Greathearts Foundation has launched its Feed our Nation initiative in conjunction with Zonke Foods to ensure orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa receive adequate nourishment on a daily basis. The initiative has been sponsored by two of South Africa's leading telecommunications players, Centratel and Mitel. Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity, with the aim of bringing hope, life and opportunity to children in South Africa that have been faced with HIV/AIDS.
A packet of Zonke all-in-one meal consisting of soya, kidney beans, split green peas, brown lentils and barley will feed four adults or six to eight children. The Zonke all-in-one meal contains a third of an individual's recommended daily allowance of protein.
“The protein element of Zonke is particularly relevant in this country,” said Sarah Demian, marketing and communications manager for Starfish Greathearts Foundation.
“Although a growing child's carbohydrate and fat needs are often met by breast milk or formula feeds, poverty-stricken children often lack an adequate protein source. This leads to diseases such as kwashiorkor, a common fate for children of this country,” said Demian.
“We are encouraging members of the public and corporate organisations to purchase the Zonke all-in-one meal which will be distributed to Starfish-endorsed community-based projects that currently support approximately 34 000 children,” said Demian.
Starfish has partnered with both non-governmental organisations as well as emerging community-based organisations and is currently working in eight of the nine South African provinces including Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Free State.
A fully functional e-commerce site, sponsored by Shop Direct, has been developed specifically for the Feed Our Nation project. Zonke all-in-one meal packets are available in 500g and 25kg packs, and cost R15 and R350 respectively. They can be purchased via the Feed Our Nation food basket which is located at www.feedournation.com.
“We are hoping to attract donations for this worthy cause from all over the world,” said Demian.
An SMS function has also been instituted in conjunction with Marketel, which will allow for the purchase of food for a once-off fee of R15 or on a monthly subscription basis which will cost R15. The SMS facility complies with all SMS regulations and will initially only be made available in South Africa.
“Starfish has a vision of a brighter future for these children and we believe with the participation of both the public and business community alike, we can make this initiative a reality,” concluded Demian.
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Centratel
The Centratel Group, consisting of four companies, namely Centravoice, Centrafin, Centracom and Masakhe, is the largest telecommunications distributor in Africa. The group is committed to the distribution of telecommunications voice and data hardware and software, next generation connectivity, ICT finance and ICT implementation as well as specialist financing of ICT products and services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mitel
Mitel delivers flexibility and simplicity in smart unified communications solutions and applications for organisations of all sizes. Combined with a full range of managed services that includes voice and data network design and traffic provisioning, custom application development, and attractive financing options, Mitel is reinventing how successful organisations gain competitive advantage by easily collaborating and communicating over distance and time with customers, colleagues and partners. Mitel's (www.mitel.com) US headquarters are in Phoenix, Arizona. Global headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners, and resellers worldwide.
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