By Avite Mbabazi
Local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Food Quest Eswatini is on a drive to help the country achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 &2, ending poverty and hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition.
For the past 10 months, the NGO has been receiving technical support from the world-renowned Global FoodBank Network whose primary mission is to advance and unite food banks around the world to nourish the world’s hungry.
Speaking about the technical support that they will need moving forward with their work in the country, founder and executive director of Food Quest Eswatini, Celani Matsenjwa revealed that Food Quest Eswatini has been invited to a Global Food Bank Network training in Mexico to increase their capacity and to help undernourished individuals here in Eswatini.
The training will increase Food Quest Eswatini’s exposure to other food banks around the world.
For this, Matsenjwa is appealing for external support, particularly from corporates, in order to fund their crucial learning trip that will help the country to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 &2 aiming at ending poverty and hunger as well as achieving food security and improving nutrition.
Matsenjwa notes that in addition to procuring food for those who are in need, there is more that needs to be done in our communities, especially for the children.
“There is also a need to support school-going children in rural areas not only with backpacks but with electricity for doing homework. As a result, the NGO has launched a project to provide backpacks with solar panels which charge during the day and provide power for a light source at night.”
The surplus food will be collected from local retailers, manufacturers, and farmers. The goal of the NGO is to establish warehouses across the country where the food can be sorted and stored before being packaged and distributed to those who need it the most.
The NGO is also undertaking a pilot vegetable farming project to supplement the surplus food collected.
The founder notes that volunteers are welcome to work in different parts of the organization’s operations including sorting and packaging food; technical support is also welcome. Those interested in volunteering can fill in a form on the NGO’s website at www.foodquesteswatini.org.
The team is led by a highly qualified and strong team in the industry, it comprises Kholeka Mdluli, who is the Financial Director, Sihle Shongwe-Assurance Quality Manager, Nokwazi Dlamini- Food & Safety Manager and Ronny Maziya, the Legal Affairs Manager.
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