Home: Freunde Waldorf

"For many children, fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury”

In 1999 the Centre for Creative Education in Khayelitsha founded Zenzeleni Waldorf School. Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships of Cape Town and emerged during apartheid in the 1950s. At that time, the black population was banned from living in South African cities.After apartheid had come to an end, Khayelitsha continued to grow, as many families settled here hoping to find work in Cape Town. But the estimated unemployment rate in the township is above 75 percent. Zenzeleni Waldorf attaches particular importance to educating its students to be self-confident and responsible people. The good reputation of the school is increasingly spreading; this is the result of the committed and persevering work of the school staff.To date, grades 1 to 7 have established, each with up to 40 children. Today, the school counts almost 300 students.

Why is it important for the children to be supplied with food at school/nursery school?
Many families at our school have very little money to spend on food; this means the children often go hungry. Even if these families spend money on food, it is so little that the meals they eat lack nutritional value.

What are the school's requirements for food?
We try to ensure that the children eat foods of high nutritional value, such as cut fruit or vegetables, which they can eat raw. For many children, fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury.

How many children get food at school/nursery school?
We try and supply all 281 children with a fresh piece of fruit or carrot, etc., three times a week. We have 50 children who need sandwiches, porridge, and more substantial meals.

Where do the children have their meals?
They eat in class or in the garden.

You have mentioned before that the children who cannot afford lunch are provided with food by the school. What kind of food do they usually get from school?
Parents organize the food and it mainly consists of sandwiches and soup.

How much does it cost to feed one child per day?
About 5 South African Rand (corresponds to approx. 0.32 euros).

What would it cost to feed one child a day so that the child is optimally cared for?
About four times as much, i.e., 20 South African Rand (approx. 1.30 euros).

What kind of support does the school/nursery school need in order to provide the best possible care for the children?
It would be wonderful if we were able to provide fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, which would cost approximately R 4000 per month (about € 250 per month).

What contribution can parents make to the children's food supply?
Only what they give their children to take along: two slices of bread and jam, normally, which has to last for the whole day.

Donation account:

Freunde der Erziehungskunst
GLS Bank Bochum
IBAN: DE47 4306 0967 0013 0420 10
BIC: GENODEM1GLS

Keyword: School meals Zenzeleni

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