Executive Directors Message                                                        

Creating Sustained Impact

In the reporting period, 2022- 2023, we supported over 23 000 children from poor, marginalised and unequal communities to get access to nutritious food, educational support including early learning ad stimulation for those below 6.  The ACFS integrated programmes were spread across Gauteng, Free state and Limpopo targeting especially the underserved and significantly poor communities where children often are impacted the most.

Due to the prolonged impact of COVID 19, many children and their families have fallen behind and are battling to rebuild the lives they once knew before the pandemic. We found that the number and degree of interventions has had to be doubled especially as the economy has generally been slow to recover especially in local townships across South Africa. It is not a surprise that the impact of COVID 19 will be felt for many years to come and especially in these poor communities where we serve.

To address these gaps, we have had to dig deep to ensure that our services are expanded and deepened to ensure meaningful interventions across our communities.  We have expanded our Nutrition outreach programme to ensure that we pay special focus and attention on the very young children (0-6) because if we don’t catch them in time, then their development and potential will be lost due to stunting.  Combined with this intervention, is the support to parents and caregivers so that they better understand and provide early stimulation to their growing children. We have also ramped up support for young people (18-35) through the youth economic and enterprise development programme that seeks to ensure that those young people that fail to progress to higher institutions of learning, are given appropriate local artisan skills that give them an opportunity to participate in the local economy. Similarly great attention has been placed on the support of teenage girls who face an unprecedented challenge of school dropout due to pregnancies, and other disproportionate expectations placed on them by their families and society.

ACFS prides itself in the ability to ‘enrich the lives of children and families in our quest to create thriving communities in South Africa. Our success story to date is hinged on the rich experience, professionalism, customer focus, innovation and creativity and reliability of a great team, underpinned by the implementation of a strategy designed to achieve child friendly destinations across all our programme area.

It goes without saying that our success as an organisation is inextricably linked to all our donors and friends and supports, without whom none of our work would have been possible. As the Executive Director of ACFS I am truly humbled by the huge support and shared common interest that we experience with our donors and partners. It is through your sheer dedication and commitment over the years that has enabled us to provide the care and support needed for all children to reach their full potential. With your support we have developed a warm, welcoming and inspirational environment that encourages children to achieve excellence in all aspects of their developing lives.

As we close yet another financial year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge how I am greatly indebted to my Team of dedicated staff, to my board and their selfless commitment to ACFS as well as to all our incredible donors who have stayed with us despite the economic challenges that we are all facing.

It is a magical experience when we all join hands to create Impact in our communities.