FOOD FOR THOUGHT….

Following my visit to Paarl, it was on to Wallacedene, a shanty town situated on the fringes of Cape Town’s northern suburbs. It more or less resembled a squatter camp with rows of makeshift, corrugated iron shacks densely packed onto blocks of flat, sandy land. Gloria Ngzukana’s two-room home sits across from a vacant lot that has been turned into a dumping ground. Complaints to have it removed have piled up in the same manner that the trash mounts.

Standing in Gloria’s yard, there was no escape from the sun’s penetrating rays of inferno. The charcoal fire that she lit beneath a large iron kettle pot made it feel hotter than an oven as dozens of little eyes stared anxiously at the preparations. She and several other women were cooking rice and vegetables for more than twenty children in the neighborhood.

Most of them come from poverty stricken homes. At least ten of the children are AIDS orphans. They range in age from 4-12 years old. Gloria feeds them at least three times a week. For some, it may be the only meal that they receive on that day. The program is funded by the Ithemba Foundation, a grassroots organization based in Washington.

“They come to us to get something to eat, then after that they do activities [like traditional dancing],” she explained. “When their parents are coming back [from work], they know their kids are somewhere. This is a way of calling them not to be on the streets.”

In spite of the meager portions, the kids smile and wave goodbye as I leave. Tummies now full… I think to myself that I should have brought a tub of ice cream for dessert. A small gesture for a great need that deserved a cool, sweet indulgence on a stifling summer day.