Gift of the Givers lauded for hunger buster project

HUMANITARIAN aid organisation Gift Of The Givers (GOTG) and environment conservation bodies Cape Nature and the Invasive Fish Species Management (IFSM), have been lauded as heroes for their ongoing environmental and hunger alleviation project which has to date fed more than 50000 people on the Garden Route.

The organisations have, for the past few months, doubled taking care of the environment and feeding the needy by removing the carp fish species from the Groenvlei natural lake near Sedgefield lake and distributing it to vulnerable communities and soup kitchens. The innovative initiative’s manager and GOTG Southern Cape manager, Mario Ferreira, said after noting that the carp species which was not indigenous to the area was disrupting the system, the environment-focused bodies saw an opportunity to work with the GOTG by supplying the non-profit organisation with fish for people to eat.

Ferreira said after getting the go-ahead from micro-biologists that the carp was safe and good for human consumption, the project had been in full swing, working to clean the lake while feeding impoverished communities along the Garden Route.

He said: “The initiative has been ongoing for months now and it has been such a satisfactory project. The joy and appreciation we get to see when we distribute the fish to people, keep us going.

“Not to forget that we’re taking care of the environment as well. It’s a win-win situation and as GOTG, we couldn’t be more pleased with the partnerships we formed during this project. Each department and organisation working together is what’s making this all possible.”

The initiative’s last catch, which was just before the bitter winter storm last week, managed to feed more than 2 000 residents from three informal settlements.

“I think the fact that we can feed someone for less than R4 goes to show what a great initiative this is. It’s sustainable and as for now, there is no saying when it will end. Support for us to keep going would be amazing,” said Ferreira.