dsc03689.jpgThe George business woman who started her “Food for Life” project in April, Cilla Bolton was invited by the US Africa Sister City Foundation to present her newly founded non-profit organisation at the 16th annual United States Africa Sister City Convention held in Cape Town earlier this month.
The theme of the conference was “Investing in Africa” and the George Sister City committee, which is twinned with Tacoma, Washington State, nominated Bolton to speak on investing in people by helping to alleviate sickness and hunger through nutrition.
Bolton was given world rights in April to distribute Zadza, the tinned maize and meat, or “pap and vleis” as it is known locally, by the South African creators and patent licence holders, Belinda and Willem Steenkamp, now living in Ireland.
She tracked the Steenkamps down after she initially saw the product, which is manufactured under licence by Bull Brand, when the product was launched three years ago.
Since Bolton started “Food for Life” she has been inundated by requests to supply the Zadza to various communities or organisations and several donations have gone to children in need via local NGOs, while the Greek NGO, The World Pharmacists, (TWP) donated 4000 tins for use at Thembalethu Clinic in George for HIV and TB patients.
“It was a great honour for me to be invited (to the conference) because I represented the community of George and was able to speak to delegates about the food major crises in Africa (and especially South Africa) called hunger and starvation. “I was also honoured to meet and speak to the president, US Sister Cities Foundation, Shirley Riven Smith, vice chair Dr Mark Bean, board member James Atwater as well as the US Ambassador to South Africa, Eric Bost,” said Bolton. Bolton also said she had long talks with Riven Smith and at the close of the conference was presented with a small cash token from the American delegation to sponsor more tins for Thembalethu clinic. “We were very excited by Cilla’s heartfelt presentation and on our return to the States will consider becoming sponsors of Food for Life,” said Riven Smith. Delegates attending the conference were from South African Sister Cities, with the United States being represented by 14 states as well as representatives from Ghana and Nigeria.
The Ghanaian delegation have invited Bolton and the George Sister City to a Sister City conference in that country in October and have expressed interest in Food for Life being used in aid programmes there. Bolton has also been invited to attend the US Africa Foundation’s annual conference in Michigan next year.
The aim of Food for Life, said Bolton, is to make the tinned meal available to NGO’s, welfare organisations and local and foreign governments at an affordable price to supplement the diets of the poorest and sick worldwide.
South African representative of TWP and chief pharmacist at Thembalethu Clinic, David Storey, researched the product and found it to have a high protein content and is easily digestible for weakened immune systems.
The tins are distributed to patients at Thembalethu clinic as well as to the Harry Comay TB hospital in George, where it is given to patients three times a week as a supplement to their diet where it aids ingestion of the anti-retroviral or TB drugs.
“The results of taking the tinned Zadza, even three times a week has shown a remarkable difference to patients, who were barely able to walk to the clinic for their medication,” said Storey.
Zadza, which has a shelf life of three years, has been approved by the South African Bureau of Standards. It is made from export quality products with 100 percent meat or Soya with added maize meal. It is also packed under government supervision, is protected by patent rights and has been certified Halaal by the South African National Halaal Authority.
“For R180 per month, a hungry child, the sick and the elderly, can eat a decent and substantial meal a day,” Bolton said.
She is excited that her project met with so much interest as she was the only presenter at the conference who actually had a project that could help alleviate and feed the sick and hungry in Africa.
