Board of Directors

Our continent grapples with a myriad of challenges such as food insecurity, the highest rates of educational exclusion globally and the increasing impact of climate change, given we are the most vulnerable. Our nation is not immune to these, with an estimated 11% (6.5 million) South Africans who are food insecure, increased year on year school dropout rates, decreasing access to basic needs such as healthcare and the long-term effects of climate change, intrinsically linked to food security as well as the floods in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this year. On the other hand, Africa is predicted to be home to the largest workforce in the world by 2040, presenting countless opportunities to leverage the demographic dividend to provide a significant share of the global economic output.

In ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme, we have witnessed an increasing need for support in the communities which we operate, serving over 22,000 children. Driven by our vision to create better lives for children and develop communities that thrive, ACFS has spent the past several decades, working to ensure that children from impoverished families and communities are not left behind through the roll out of initiatives to support access to quality education, health and nutrition, food security and upskilling to increase employability, fundamentally improving livelihoods. Reaffirming that their hope for a future is well secured and that they grow to participate in the economy and greater society of South Africa.

We are pleased to share with you the ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme journey in the just ended financial period and to highlight some of our achievements over the last few years and the impact that we have made in our communities. It is a great privilege to now take up the reigns to serve as the Chairperson of the ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme Board, one of the organisations at the forefront of tackling these socioeconomic challenges as well as creating a platform for our children to realise their full potential and earn a seat at the global economic table.

We recognise the mammoth task at hand in changing the lives of millions of children, securing our future, and the role we can all play. With this in my mind, in my tenure as the chairperson for ACFS, I want to make a clarion call to like-minded institutions and individuals, to rally together to support ACFS Community Education to deepen their work in our communities and ensuring sustainable futures for our children. As a collective, we can scale these initiatives to reach more children, changing their lives and truly transforming
our nation. 

Let me conclude my message by paying tribute to all the wonderful people, organisations, Trusts, Foundations, and corporates that has supported our work in the last financial year. Without your invaluable contributions, support, and partnerships, ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme would not have achieved the incredible milestones that have been achieved in this year under review. I invite you to read this Impact report and give yourselves an
opportunity to reflect on the remarkable work that you have actively enabled. Cognizant of the significant need in our communities, we hope we can continue to work together in the new year. 

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge my fellow board members and thank them for their commitment and dedication to ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme. In addition, to thank our Executive Director and her team for the excellent work that they carry out on a day-today basis, may you all continue in strength, knowing that the work you do is changing the lives of children in South Africa. 

I remain unequivocally optimistic about our future as a nation.

Ruwayda Redfearn
ACFS Board Chairperson