Schools gain from feeding scheme
TWENTY years ago, a Marburg schoolteacher decided to cook breyani, load it in his car and drive to a school to feed 50 underprivileged pupils.
Today, Rajen Mahabeer continues to play the Good Samaritan, filling the hungry bellies of about 800 pupils with the piping hot vegetarian dish.
If not for him and other volunteers, these children would in many instances not have a nutritious plate of food to eat for the day.
The 56-year-old said that while at a local school, he saw children line up at a government feeding scheme.
He approached the principal, who told him that many of the pupils he had seen may not have another meal to eat for the rest of the day.
The response, said Mahabeer, had spurred him to do something.
At first, he worked alone, cooking meals in his garage.
But as the years progressed, he registered Hibiscus Food for Life as a non-profit organisation.
As the feeding grew, so did the support from the community.
“Our monthly expenditure amounts to R16 000, which we get from local donations,” he said, adding that they have regular donors who raise R10 000 in cash or deposited donations and they make up the R6 000 from the food donations they get.
“We save some donations for the December holidays and give it to kids as gift hampers for the season.”
Pat Gungadeen, Mahabeer’s partner, said ever since they started feeding at Murchison, more children had enrolled at the school.
They dish up their vegetarian breyani for any child who is in the line.
The two beacons of hope said they were happy and motivated when a school principal wrote to them and thanked them for their generosity.
“Our children are enjoying nutritious food and a balanced diet and we have noticed their performance improve in class and a change in their bodies,” the principal wrote.
Reward
The letter went on to say that some of the children were from families who went to bed without supper.
Mahabeer, who teaches at Jai Hind Primary School, said knowing that he had fed one child was enough reward for him.
“It was a battle to start this initiative. I had to get pots. My children simply had to understand that there were some luxuries they couldn’t get because we had to help others,” said Mahabeer.
“We just have to acknowledge that there are some people who need help out there,which is why I am appealing to the public to donate anything they can to help us feed our future.
“Let’s be a country that practises ubuntu.”