Alex youngster (11) feeds the poor
Pocket money drives Bonolo’s soup kitchen
An 11-year-old aspiring radio broadcaster from Alexandra, northern Johannesburg, has been saving her school lunchbox money to buy and cook soup for the less fortunate in her community.
Bonolo Moahludi said she was inspired to start the soup kitchen after the local school feeding scheme in her area closed down during level 5 of the national lockdown.
Speaking to Sowetan in the presence of her mother, Teboho Moahlodi, Bonolo said her compassion to help the needy pushed her to forgo her lunchbox money to help others.
She said her dream was to alleviate poverty in every way she could.
“I was touched after the feeding scheme closed down and I noticed more children were staying hungry in my community. I was pushed to make a difference,” she said.
Bonolo said she also used to benefit from the feeding scheme that shut down .
“We used to go there every day after school with our containers, collected any meal of the day that was provided and went back home.
“But now most parents lost their jobs due to the pandemic, meaning more empty pots in people’s homes,” she said.
Bonolo, who is in grade 6 at Knak Primary School, said her soup kitchen was funded by her mother, who gave her a monthly lunch allowance to cook soup once a week.
She gets about R400 every month from her mother, which is not enough at times to buy food to last for four weeks.
“I buy split peas, meaty bones and vegetables. My mom prepares the coal stove for me during the night and boils my soup throughout the night. In the morning at 5am I wake up and add garnishing to my soup and meat pieces before I go to school.”
Bonolo’s soup kitchen provides meals to the needy every Tuesday when she is not attending class and it feeds dozens of children from her school and community.
Parents who spoke to Sowetan said they were happy with what the young girl was doing.
“She is a young leader who has done what most of us would never do,” said one parent. On days when she does not go to school she prepares the soup early and serves it around 11am and in the afternoons on school days.
Bonolo is not just a soup maker but also a radio host for the Alex FM community radio station.
Her mother described her as a very intelligent child who shocked her family with her newsreading and presenting skills.
“She began making videos of her talent and I posted them on social media. The responses got her followers and a slot at the local station where she is now a host and presenter,” said Moahludi.
“I want to be the youngest newsreader in the world. I practise reading every day with books, newspapers and watch lots of educational programmes on TV,” the young girl said.
Bonolo said her dream job was to be a veterinarian because of her love for animals. She said she also volunteered at the SPCA in Marlboro in her spare time.