9 May 2024
Shoprite has donated thousands of seedlings to community members in Lesotho, also providing training and tools that will enable them to grow their own fruit and vegetables at home.
Hunger relief and food security are at the core of Shoprite’s Act For Change programme, through which the retailer has supported food gardens in Lesotho – including the St Cecilia Orphanage Home, God’s Love Centre and Action Lesotho – since April 2022.
“Now we’re also addressing food security at a household level by giving families the means to grow their own food, thereby helping them be more adaptive and resilient to a changing climate.”
- Sanjeev Raghubir, Head of Sustainability and CSI at the Shoprite Group
Community members received their seedlings and tools during training sessions held at Shoprite-supported food gardens in Lesotho. On the photo is Bereng Moqomisa being showed the ropes by Mookho Letshokgohla, Food and trees for Africa facilitator.
The Act For Change programme working with non-profit Food & Trees for Africa supports more than 230 food gardens and 4 000 home gardens – covering over 4.5 million m2 – indirectly impacting about 60 000 beneficiaries across southern Africa.
In Lesotho, Act for Change has also over the past year:
- served more than 110 000 hot meals through the Shoprite Mobile Soup Kitchens;
- donated more than R2 million worth of surplus food and goods from its supermarkets to beneficiary organisations;
- ensured children at God’s Love Centre Early Childhood Development Centre receive at least one nutritious meal per day (11 000+ meals in total).