South Africa faces a persistent and compounding crisis of maternal and early childhood malnutrition, particularly in under-resourced communities. The first 1,000 days, from conception to a child’s second birthday, represent the most critical window for cognitive development, immune function, and long-term health outcomes. Yet for many families in vulnerable communities, access to fresh, nutritious food remains out of reach.
OneFarm Share’s mission to rescue and redistribute surplus produce creates a unique opportunity to address this gap, not just by delivering food, but by delivering the right food, to the right families, at the right time.
The Mother & Child Nutrition Programme collaborates with the Philani Maternal Child Health and Nutrition Trust to leverage the expertise of Philani’s dedicated mentor mothers, who identify and monitor at-risk pregnant women and young children.
These mentor mothers provide essential nutrition education, equipping families with the knowledge needed to improve dietary practices and overall well-being.
In partnership with FoodForward SA, we complement these efforts by supplying nutritious fresh produce to identified households.
The pilot phase of the program operates across six Philani clinics in the Western Cape (Crossroads, Philippi/Browns Farm, Khayelitsha Site B & Site C, Mitchells Plain) and two clinics in the Eastern Cape (Zithulele and Coffee Bay). Building on its success, we aim to expand this initiative to additional provinces in the coming year, furthering our commitment to food security and improving early childhood nutrition for South Africa’s most vulnerable communities.