In commemoration of this year’s World Food Day, which is urging action that promotes inclusivity and the building of sustainable food systems for everyone everywhere, a group of Woolworths employees from River Square store rolled up their sleeves and went to work with the youth in the food garden at Afrika Tikkun Foundation’s Orange Farm Centre.

With programmes focused on education, health and social services, Afrika Tikkun Foundation builds a foundation where young, unemployed South Africans can also develop as agri-entrepreneurs contributing to food security and boosting employment in their communities.  Afrika Tikkun Urban Agripreneurship Incubation Project was one of the Woolworths’ 2021 ‘Take a moment to make a difference’ Christmas campaign beneficiaries.  This funding enabled them to support 15 graduates from Orange Farm as they establish their agribusinesses. The Urban Agripreneurship Incubation Project provides training in sustainable, environmentally-conscious farming practices as well as financial management and other business skills.  The start-up agribusinesses will help to improve township food systems and boost the local economies. 

“It was a wonderful opportunity for us to visit Afrika Tikkun Foundation’s Orange Farm centre and work alongside the youth in their food garden.  We harvested fresh vegetables from the garden which we then also cooked for lunch for the children in their ECD centre.  The team really enjoyed the experience, and we were all inspired,” says Johan Botha Foods Manager Woolworths River Square store. 

“Acknowledged on 16 October, this year’s World Food Day theme is to ‘Leave NO ONE behind’, so calls for all of us to go out into our communities to help build a sustainable world where everyone, everywhere has regular access to enough nutritious food and a #zerohunger world by 2030. For many years Woolworths has been working to make a sustainable and positive impact on alleviating hunger in South Africa.  We believe that food security and access to food is a fundamental human right and have over this last year* donated over R 6 million to organisations, like Afrika Tikkun Foundation to empower communities across South Africa to grow more food and become food secure,” confirms Zinzi Mgolodela, Woolworths Corporate Affairs Director.