Celebrating 20 years and millions of e'Pap meals

KNYSNA NEWS - In 2003 a feeding project was started to feed e'Pap, a pre-cooked porridge, to pre-school children in Knysna. Now, 20 years on, the project has expanded immensely, outgrowing Knysna and reaching other parts of the Garden Route with roughly 11 million meals cooked and served in the past two decades.

It was a very small initiative with just 60 children from two pre-schools receiving the health-generating breakfast every school day.

"The children were monitored and it was very clear that e'Pap made a big difference to their health, and so the project started to grow," said one of the founders, Shelley Godsell.

Twenty years on, the e'Pap Children's Feeding Project is reaching pre-schools in George, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. Over 5 500 children in some 140 pre-schools now receive regular meals of e'Pap.

Last weekend the founders of the project, Shelley Godsell, Lally Viljoen and Peter Godsell, hosted an event at which some 80 volunteers and school staff celebrated what has been achieved over the 20 years.

It was a joyous occasion celebrating many aspects of the project, but especially the fact that over 11 million meals have been supplied to the children of the Garden Route.

"Many of our donors are from the Garden Route," Shelley said.

"Others are from other parts of our country and overseas - we thank them all. They have enabled us to feed and improve the health of a generation of children. On behalf of all these children, thank you, enkosi kakhulu and baie dankie."

Nicky Rutherfoord an e’Pap volunteer and our event organiser and Ethel Sidebe the Principal of Siyafunda Educare.