Smash Afrika is no new name in the streets of South Africa. A talented television and radio presenter better known for co-hosting the Maansi Magic music show with Massive Music.
Smash Afrika has been appointed as ACFS’ Ambassador to drive the ACFS Charity Gold Day in aid of supporting the survival needs of the vulnerable children across ACFS’ programs.
Welcome back to all our friends, donors and partners to a brand new year 2023. Here’s hoping that the festive holiday season provided all the rest and recuperation that we all needed after a very difficult year that was 2022.
Since its inception ACFS prides itself in the ability to ‘enrich the lives of our children and families in our quest to create thriving communities in South Africa. Our success story to date is hinged on the rich experience, professionalism, customer focus, innovation and creativity and reliability of a great team, underpinned by the implementation of a strategy designed to achieve CHILD FRINDLY DESTINATIONS ACROSS ALL OUR PROGRAMME Pillars. I appreciate each of you for your interest and care for the children and communities we serve. It is through your sheer dedication and commitment over the years that has enabled us to provide the care and support needed for all children to reach their full potential. With your support we have developed a warm, welcoming and inspirational environment that encourages children to achieve excellence in all aspects of their developing lives.
So as we step into 2023, all I can think of is Better, building better, advocating better, and giving you better information regarding all our endeavours and achievements. With your support ACFS will continue to remain resolute in our quest to be a Better organisation for children and families from poor and deprived circumstances so we can better enrich each Life in our care.
Going into the new year, we will build on our past successes as we continue to improve the quality of programming and support services that ACFS provides to children from marginalised communities. I invite you all to visit us on all our social media platforms and website so that you can continue to get informed on our progress into the year. Remember always our core statements that will drive each aspect of our work:-
#ACFS growinggiants
#ACFS enrichinglives
#ACFS creatingchildfriendlydestinations
ACFS buildingthrivingcommunties
Bertha Magoge
Executive Director
Established in 1945, By the late Bishop Trevor Huddleston, the ACFS Community Education and Feeding scheme is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO No. 001-213) and Public Beneficiary Organisation (PBO no. 930000475). Over the years, the holistic child and family cantered development programme aimed at enabling all children to reach their full potential while families are empowered to provide for their children through skills and small business development.
Over the 75 years of serving poor families and children, ACFS Community Education has established 10 Community Based Centres in the major, previously marginalised townships and informal settlements in Gauteng Province. The centres act as Community hubs, providing nutrition and feeding, early childhood development programmes, educational support interventions, personal development and empowerment programmes for teenage girls and youth. The Centres also provide shills and business development training for youth and unemployed adult caregivers. In addition, the organisation provides a wide range of social support services for families such as information and access to government social security programmes, referrals to specialist care including psychosocial support, information and resources such as computers, skills training and personal development.
From 1 to 30 November 2022, ACFS will host an Art Exhibition at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg.
ACFS Community Education and feeding scheme was founded in 1945 by the Anglican priest Trevor Huddleston. As a young man Trevor was moved by the plight of African children in the then apartheid government. While serving in Sophiatown, Huddleston witnessed many atrocities of segregation and suffering of the African people and children in particular. From a humble soup kitchen, he established the African children’s feeding scheme in response to the misery, hunger and malnutrition that surrounded him in his community. The plight of children in present day South Africa has not changed much. We often wonder what Huddleston would say about the situation of children in South Africa today?
ACFS wants to celebrate the life and sacrifice of our founding father Huddleston, often known among his peers as the “Daunting one”. We are holding a month-long art exhibition that aims to raise funding for the much-needed interventions of health and nutrition, education support, youth economic empowerment, food security and livelihoods feeding, as well as teenage girls clubs and safe hubs.
During the month of November, we will pay tribute to Trevor Huddleston and honour his commitment and dedication to children and poor communities. No other place in our country could have been more suitable to hold this event than the constitution Hill – a place where all of us as South Africans take time to remember the injustices of the past- the things that Trevor Huddleston spent most of his adult life fighting against. This is a place where we hope to engage our audience in an active consciousness for the plight of poor and vulnerable children in our communities. We are inspired in this month to track our history and remember the great sacrifices of our founding father and his comrades back in the day.
While South Africa is rated a middle-income economy, we are also still considered one of the most unequal society in the world. Our children and youth still go to bed hungry as they did 77 years ago. Our youth are the most impacted by unemployment and the majority of them in fact unemployable due to unequal opportunities for education and skills development. Our country systematically pushes children and youth to the periphery of society and one has got to ask …. Is our future secure?
To help celebrate this august occasion, we are partnering with a celebrated Dutch Artist Ronald Vles who is well known for his works of stunning landscapes in South Africa and all over the world. Ronald’s stunning artwork will be on display throughout the month of November and every art work that is sold, the proceeds will go directly to supporting the work of ACFS across South Africa.
Nelson Mandela honoured the passing of Huddleston by sharing the following about Huddleston’s life and work:
“He brought hope, sunshine and comfort to the poorest of the poor. He was not only a leader in the fight against oppression, he was also father and mentor to many leaders of the liberation movement. His memory will live in the hearts of our people. ”
Help us grow the giants that Bishop Trevor Huddleston envisioned. #ACFSGROWINGGIANTS
If we have learnt anything over the last 2 years of the global pandemic of Covid-19, the loss of lives, suffering and financial hardships, its that life is short and life is precious. As humbling as that thought is, it allows us to focus on what is important and also that we need to plan for the lives of future generations of children. One of the ways to do that is through a bequest.
A bequest is a gift or monetary incentive specified in your Will to be given to a particular person or organisation after you have passed away. A bequest can be your lasting legacy that can touch the lives of thousands of children for years to come. By leaving a bequest to ACFS, you can help us combat childhood malnutrition as well as contribute to our other programmes which include skills development, HIV/Aids awareness and communal food gardens.
A bequest can take the form of specific items of value, sums of money, residuary estate amounts, life assurance policies or a percentage of your total estate. Bequests to ACFS in the past have helped build the foundation for the feeding and educational programmes to where they are today. The benefits to you include saving on estate duties and the mental wellbeing of knowing you have contributed to the lives of thousands of children as well as caregivers in Gauteng.
If you are interested in leaving a bequest in your Will or you would like more information on other ways you can contribute to the programmes that ACFS offers, please click the button below.
