Learners from Paul Roos Gymnasium (PRG) in Stellenbosch started to distribute food parcels to the learners of Rietenbosch Primary School in Cloetesville during May to help families affected by the national lockdown.
A total of 350 learners and their families have received food parcels through this initiative, which was started by Munnik Huysamer, a grade 12 learner at PRG, to combat hunger during the lockdown period.
Huysamer had previously assisted Rietenbosch Primary School in 2019 with donated second-hand sports equipment.
“With the outbreak of COVID-19 and everything I read in the media, I made contact with the school again to find out how I could assist them,” said Huysamer.
It became evident that there was a big need in the community around Stellenbosch for food and assistance, he said.
Enter a PRG learners distributing food parcels to students and families in Cloetesville. PHOTO: Facebook/Paul Roos Gymnasium
Together with his fellow pupils on the learner’s council, Huysamer assisted the school and the children by handing out food parcels. The first handout was on 15 May.
“Hopefully, through our actions and working closely with Rietenbosch, we have made a small difference in the lives of the communities,” he said.
Every week, 60 food parcels are delivered to the school, said Huysamer.
Renette Stofberg, an educator at PRG and the person in charge of the learner’s council, said the students initially started to help out with the handing out of soup and bread provided by Rietenbosch for their own scholars.
“It started as a feeding scheme just at the school, but one of the Rietenbosch Primary staff members also saw the need of the children and families of the schools on the farms in the region, who could not get to [the] school in the mornings to get some food,” said Stofberg.
As a result, learners from PRG, Bloemhof High School and Rhenish Girls High School donated soup ingredients and bread that was handed out to families on the farms in the surrounding area, she said.
Educators from Rietenbosch Primary School assisting in the distribution of food parcels. PHOTO: Facebook/Paul Roos Gymnasium
According to Stofberg, most of the learners at Rietenbosch usually received a daily meal at school. Often it was their only meal for the day.
“This need did not stop. Except now kids could not necessarily come to school to get a meal,” she said.
Rietenbosch Primary School is doing their best to address the needs of their scholars, said Stofberg. However, the need is big, and any help is welcome.
The efforts of the PRG pupils were greatly appreciated, said Uhlan Lackay, an educator at Rietenbosch Primary School.
“One would [assume] that because they are [in] matric, they would stay at home and study, but they chose to risk their safety and help others,” he said.