On 23 March this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the extraordinary measure of enforcing a three-week national shutdown to 14 curb the spread of COVID-19 in our nation. While necessary, this measure has a far-reaching impact on every aspect of our society. And those who are perhaps the hardest hit are South Africa’s children. With many parents unable to earn money and school feeding schemes closed, nine million children in disadvantaged communities are at risk of going hungry right now.
When Cape Town businessman Brad Stern realised the impact that the national shutdown would have on these children, he was inspired to launch an initiative to help. “It is a heart-breaking reality that needs as much attention as possible. These children need help and so do the organisations that work with them – my mission was to provide help,” he said.
The initiative, ‘Cans With Purpose’, quickly gained traction with hardware and electronics corporation, Acer doing their part to support this worthy cause. In just 14 days, Cans With Purpose has raised over R250 000, which has been donated to Afrika Tikkun, an organisation that works to provide nutritious meals to children across South Africa.
Precious Nala, Marketing Manager at Afrika Tikkun says: “We will share the food and funds we received with our centres in Johannesburg and in Cape Town, to help them through this difficult time.”
As part of their broader CSI initiatives, Acer is proud to support this worthy cause and help ensure that South Africa’s most vulnerable children don’t have to go hungry during this difficult time. “We are taking continuous proactive actions, setting higher goals to make a meaningful difference for today and for tomorrow,” said Acer General Manager & Head of Consumer Business at Acer Africa , Glenn Du Toit.
We call on all South African businesses to support Cans With Purpose. Right now, the initiative is in desperate need of funds, as well as distribution points in open retailers and banks where people can donate canned goods.
To find out how you can help, visit canswithpurpose.co.za.
Image Courtesy: womenontop.co.za