Operation Hunger presently supports nutrition projects in the Western Cape, Port Elizabeth and surrounding communities, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and the Northern Cape.

The most vulnerable communities in South Africa remain those hardest to reach. We believe our projects are among the best positioned to effectively reach these communities and provide them with the development services and resources they need to progress and survive. While Operation Hunger is intently focused on health, nutrition, food security and clean water supplies, we have had to adopt other activities that affect our efforts in that sphere. Training and establishment of sustainable income generating activities form part of these interventions. Operation Hunger’s goals to this effect are:

• Households that are knowledgeable in the management of malnutrition and infectious diseases especially TB and HIV/AIDS.
• Communities better managing their income through self-help initiatives.
• Communities practicing healthy eating habits.

Our organisation aims to address the challenges of malnutrition through, quite simply, feeding.  We have assisted identified communities with the establishment of 24 feeding programmes which focus on providing a nourishing meal to 2 400 of their most vulnerable residents on a daily basis and giving weekly health and nutrition education to beneficiaries and volunteers. These programmes are supported by The Spar Group Limited.

Operation Hunger, with the help of the Goldrush Foundation and other smaller donors, is also presently supporting 26 soup kitchens between the Western Cape and Port Elizabeth. These are projects which have been initiated by community members with the intention of providing some relief to those who need assistance promptly. Through the generosity of local supermarket chains, we are able to support these projects with food supplies on a weekly basis. On average, these kitchens feed approximately 13 000 beneficiaries weekly.

Once we have addressed this basic need, our focus shifts to skills development which can equip beneficiaries with methods on how to manage and sustain projects. Here, networking with service providers is vital. Operation Hunger provides training in nutrition education and food gardening to all volunteer cooks associated with the feeding programmes and soup kitchens. Skills training in garden projects, sewing, knitting and other income generation activities is done with community members in order to assist them to support themselves.

We acknowledge that the communities who receive support have existed before our intervention, and will continue long after we leave. Experience has taught us that participants are committed to their community because it is their home.