By THABO MOTLHABI
THE sound of laughter and excitement filled Khuzwayo Street in Orlando East, Soweto, on 15 September, as children gathered for a simple but meaningful meal of sandwiches and a sip of juice.
The weekly “Sandwiches and a Sip of Juice” initiative, hosted by African Child at Work NPO, is providing much-needed food to children while bringing the community together in the fight against hunger and poverty.
Each child receives four slices of bread and a sip of juice.
What started as a small community initiative has steadily grown, attracting increasing numbers of children every week.
Because of the growing demand, the organisation currently limits the number of children served to 100 every Friday.
African Child at Work NPO founder Thabiso Masigo said the growing turnout is both encouraging and a reminder of the scale of the need in the community.
“The attraction is undeniable. Children arrive in numbers so great that we now limit it to 100 servings per Friday. It’s a bittersweet reality — joy in the turnout, but also a reminder that more hands and hearts are needed to meet the demand.
“We are already turning the next page of this story by finding more sponsors, expanding our reach and ensuring that no child is turned away, because every sandwich and every sip of juice is more than food.”
The initiative is supported by community stakeholders, including Sello Ya Kasi Tuck Shop, who are contributing to efforts aimed at addressing hunger and poverty in Orlando East.
For the children, however, the programme is about more than simply receiving food.
It is also an opportunity to make friends, learn, work together and spend time with other children in a safe and positive environment.
For African Child at Work, the message is simple: a sandwich may be small, but in a hungry child’s hands, it can mean a lot.
