ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : c*******e@a**s.o*g.za
Mission Statement
ACFS is dedicated to the development and protection of children and their families through a focus on improving access to nutrition, health, early learning and stimulation, as well as skills development.
About This Cause
Established in 1945, By the late Bishop Trevor Huddleston, the ACFS Community Education and Feeding scheme is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO No. 001-213) and Public Beneficiary Organisation (PBO no. 930000475). Over the years, the holistic child and family centered development programme aimed at enabling all children to reach their full potential while families are empowered to provide for their children through skills and small business development. Over the 79 years of serving poor families and children, ACFS Community Education has established 9 Community Based Centers in the major, previously marginalized townships and informal settlements in Gauteng Province as well as Bothaville in the Free State and in Zebediela - Limpopo. The centers act as Community hubs, providing `Nutrition and Feeding, Learning and Development, Food Security, Sustainable Livelihoods, personal development and empowerment programmes for teenage girls and youth as well as a Teenage Girl Safe Hub for Teen Moms and Moms to be. The Centers also provide skills and business development training for youth and unemployed adult caregivers. In addition, the organisation provides a wide range of social support services for families such as information and access to government social security programmes, referrals to specialist care including psychosocial support, information and resources such as computers, skills training and personal development. Our Programmes The ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme is committed to working with poor communities in order to transform the lives of these families and empower them to change their circumstances. We achieve this through a wide range of interventions and strategies that equip and enable them to take incremental steps to a better Future. Health and Nutrition Our innovative interventions ensure that children from poor and under resourced communities are identified for additional support in nutrition, early stimulation as well as health assessments and referrals to resource partners and key stakeholders. Our work targets children 0 to 18 years old of age with streamlined age-appropriate interventions such as screening assessments, referrals, early stimulation, parental/ caregiver engagement and support. Learning and Development The ACFS Learning and Development Pillar ensures inclusive and equitable access to quality education for all children, through creating stimulating and conducive environments for children. This pillar focusses on a variety of interventions such as ECDs, toy libraries, computer classes, reading clubs, play days, holiday programmes, caregiver support and expressive arts, all of which is offered at each of our child friendly destination centers including in informal communities. Food Security Food security is a condition in which everyone has physical, social, and financial access to enough safe, wholesome food that satisfies their nutritional needs and food preferences so that they can lead active, healthy lives. (FAO, 1996). Three variables affect food security i.e., whether the geographical region produces enough food to feed its population; whether the food supply is steady and able to withstand risks such as droughts; and whether people can access food both physically and financially (Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, 2016). Thirty percent (30%) of South Africa’s children live below the food poverty line in households that do not have enough money to meet children’s nutritional needs. ACFS works towards the eradication of extreme hunger, stunting and malnutrition and provide households with the skills and opportunities to self-sustain through our food garden and community feeding centers. Through this work we create sustainable livelihoods, by building food systems that can address issues of food security. Transformative economic development as part of our social enterprise initiatives is a critical aspect of this work. ACFS also provides emergency response to households who experience severe levels of socio-economic distress due to social shocks and catastrophic events. Sustainable Livelihoods through Inclusive Youth-led economic development South Africa is regarded as one of the most unequal societies in the world. Youth remain vulnerable in the labour market and youth unemployment has increased year on year for the last few years. While the working-age population is growing, the South African economy has struggled to keep pace. A key driver of youth inequality and unemployment arises at the intersection of income levels, access to quality early learning programmes, and child outcomes. Our aim is to transform local economies so that they include youth participation along the economic ecosystem. We implement transformation interventions that enables youth artisanal skills development, income generation and job creation as well as entrepreneurship among young people. The skills training we offer through our social enterprises in food gardening, brickmaking and community bakeries ensure that we redirect youth back into the economic mainstream utilizing the artisanal skills that they acquire through ACFS community education. We partner with expert stakeholders to offer youth artisanal skills and facilitates workplace-based opportunities that demonstrates the application of their skill in the local market.