e'Pap Knysna, South Africa - Proof that e'Pap Changes Lives

Shelley and Peter Godsall have been supplying e'Pap to 4,750 poor malnourished children, through the Kysna e'Pap Feeding Scheme, for 10 years now.  The children are now starting to prepare to enter the real world of employment and University.  e'Pap has made an amazing impact on their lives and one can see the huge positive changes in the children. These pupils report that their successes are directly linked to the e'Pap. 

Peter recently visited the Knysna Sekondére Skool and witnessed the e’Pap distribution, which takes place on a daily basis. He chatted to a couple of children and got their impressions of the porridge and why it was so important to them,  please remember that they are not speaking in their home language.

They are so grateful for the gift of e’Pap and were at pains to make sure that Peter understood how important it is to them. A fantastic volunteer, Marlise Basson, who has literally taken them under her wing and loves them to bits, encourages them and makes them feel worthwhile. 

The “cooks” also  form part of the amazing e’Pap team. One is extremely poor and totally illiterate and the other little has had a stroke but can read and write, so they work together, the one mixing the porridge and the other one doing the writing down of quantities used. They are at the school every day without fail and this programme has changed their lives by making them feel valued and worthwhile. 

The boys who are about double the size of the e'Pap team just love them to bits and are so grateful for their gift of service. 

This is just one of the Knysna outlets which has literally changed the lives of all concerned including the volunteer.  

Thank you Global Vision International Charitable Trust

Global Vision International Charitable Trust in line with their mission to, "To inspire and equip young people with the tools and skills to realise their highest potential" is providing much needed support to The Stonehills Wildlife Sanctuary to grow their e'Pap programme, one which we blogged about previously. 

Part of what GVI does is that once they receive at least £250, they then arrange for e'Pap to be purchased by Stonehills for the desperately needy children at Marula School.  As GVI is a British registered charity, donations that are for restricted funds (specific projects like the appeal to assist Marula school) are spent only on that project.

We are appealing to you to think about giving to this well run and accountable project.  To do so, go to the Global Giving website at this link. http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-feed-hungy-children-in-zimbabwe/

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Almost 3000 pupils in Matabeleland South province dropped out of school in 2013 due to hunger. Marula School presently has 380 pupils, the majority of them day scholars from disadvantaged homes. 50 scholars are particularly needy - many are AIDS orphans. There is very little employment other than farm labouring in the area and low rainfall. Despite being a Government school, they receive no State assistance. The cost of living continues to soar in this country and is predicted to get much worse.

How will this project solve this problem?

The Stone Hills Wildlife Sanctury is based 4.5km from Marula school and have been supporting the school for the past 10 years. This project will help them supply e'pap to at least 50 of the most disadvantaged day scholars - many who have lost one or both parents from AIDS - if not all students. These children get very little to eat at home and depend on the e'Pap for their daily vitamin and mineral intake.

Potential Long Term Impact

Our long-term objectives are to give all the day scholars e-pap every day of the year (including holidays) - we have pinpointed only 50 of them, but all the diet of all the rest is also deficient. Most of them receive only one meal a day at home in the evenings, and they must find it hard to concentrate on school work as a result, or walk the often long distances to school and back.Three little ones who live further down the Mangwe Road, make a round trip daily of 16km!

Welcome to Bulawayo, Delegates of the SADC People’s Summit for Non-Governmental Organisations

e’Pap Zimbabwe will be exhibiting at the annual SADC People’s Summit for non-governmental organisations at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on the 15^th and 16^th August.   

The e’Pap stand is up and we are ready to serve a good portion of super-nutrition to the expected 1500 attending delegates.  

e’Pap prescribes to the philosophy of “A Nutrient Economy” which is perfectly in tune with this year’s summit theme “Reclaiming SADC for People’s Development; SADC Resources for SADC people” .  

“A nutrient economy is a new paradigm for understanding the dynamic forces within and between food, health, agriculture and the environment, which in turn drives success (or failure) in the workforce and communities. A nutrient replete world will provide an explosion of opportunities for economic and social transactions and is the foundation of sustainable development and the fight against poverty.

Nutrient replete populations will be physically and mentally more able to participate in the pursuit of their Millennium Goals:

• Reduce poverty and hunger

• Achieve universal primary education

• Promote gender equality and empower women

• Reduce child mortality

• Improve maternal health

• Help better manage HIV/AIDS, TB and other chronic diseases

• Ensure environmental sustainability”

The broad thematic issues to be discussed include economic freedom, human security, trade, debt and aid, governance, democracy and human rights as well as  issues to do with youth unemployment, state of social service delivery and the influence of political economy on natural resource use and poverty reduction in SADC.

e’Pap Zimbabwe certainly looks forward to engaging with SADC thought leaders over the next couple of days.

Happy Women's Day with love from e'Pap

We celebrate Women’s Day in South Africa, to pay homage to the women - the mothers, the wives, the sisters and the daughters - who fought tirelessly against the tyranny of the Apartheid government and who continue to fight for the rights of the children of Africa.

e'Pap Supports the War Against Rhino Poaching

The Latest e'Pap Warrior - May he continue to thrive!

A happy story this week, but with a tragic backdrop - one which is all too familiar on the African continent.  Sadly, a baby rhino was recently orphaned by poachers.  His caregivers were looking for wholesome nutrition to give the poor little guy as the porridge they normally use was unavailable.  e'Pap was suggested by a lady already hooked on the "e'Pap effect" as a far cheaper and much more nutritious option to other instant cereals available on the market.  The good news - the little e'Pap rhino is reportedly thriving on his porridge after a trial and error period to work out how much he needed every day - after all it is not very easy to weigh a little rhino!

e'Pap would like to applaud his caregivers for all the hard work they are putting in to protect this endangered species.

Despite reports that rhino poaching decreased dramatically in 2013 in Zimbabwe registering a 66% drop compared to 2012, poaching remains a major concern.  The fact is the rhino population in Zimbabwe has plummeted to just 750 of these exceptionally majestic prehistoric behemoths (450 black and 300 white rhinos) compared to a population of some 2 000 at the end of the 1980's. 

Sadly the situation in South Africa is far worse as highlighted by the country's Department of Environmental Affairs...

e'Pap is now a popular choice for anti-poaching patrols as it is any easy to carry, easy to prepare high nutrition meal designed to help sustain the energy of these conservation warriors.