Thousands of people showed the spirit of Ubuntu as they flocked to the V&A Waterfront’s The Look Out and the Oranjezicht City Farm Market to partake in Ladles of Love’s attempt to break the Ubuntu World Record for the highest number of volunteers offering 67 minutes of their time on Mandela Day (18 July).
Ubuntu World Records recognises and records achievements that in the spirit of ubuntu drive activism, action and awareness around advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
According to the United Nations (UN), the 17 SDGs include quality education, zero hunger, gender equality and no poverty among others. The hunger relief organisation aimed to get 6 700 people together to offer 67 minutes of their time to make items that nourish, nurture and grow children at Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) in disadvantaged communities.
To partake in the event volunteers had to purchase a ticket and indicate which activity they would be doing. Activities ranged from crafting educational toys, filling jars with beans, creating hampers or making sandwiches among others.
Similar events took place in Hermanus and Johannesburg.
Ladles of Love managed to achieve the record for SDG 4: Quality Education, but it also applies to SDG 2: Zero Hunger as volunteers were required to make items that assisted in the education of children.
The record was set by 6 003 volunteers nationwide and was officiated by the Director of Ubuntu World Records Theresa Parsraman at the Cape Town event.
Yolanda Jones, Ladles of Love Programme Director, says: “You cannot educate a child on an empty stomach, as a result, our early childhood development programme focuses on providing nutritious food as well as support to the centre to train teachers and provide educational materials. The items made by volunteers will make a world of difference to children.”
For the past three years, the organisation staged and produced three world records for the most homemade sandwiches produced in one hour, the longest line of food cans and the largest food can mosaic with a mural of Nelson Mandela.
Danny Diliberto, Ladles of Love founder, describes this as their biggest Mandela Day event. He says all the items will be donated to about 51 ECDs on their database.
He thanked volunteers and donors for their time and donations.
“I want to say thank you. When I look at this, I see human beings. There’s no religion, culture or gender. Just people coming together, and this is who we are. This is how we should be every day. Just coming from a place of love, kindness and that is why I love Mandela Day so much.”
Andiswa Ncamiso is an organiser at an ECD in Khayelitsha and they are one of the beneficiaries.
“If it wasn’t for Ladles of Love we would not be where we are today because we struggle a lot financially. We couldn’t even afford to buy sugar for the kids. There were days when kids would eat porridge without sugar. When Ladles of Love stepped in that was a blessing to us. I don’t know how to put in words how grateful I am to be part of this initiative.”
Ncamiso says they cater to more than 100 children and adds that the donations they receive from the NPO weekly are much needed.
“It makes a big change in our communities. We don’t only deal with ECDs, we also deal with children living on the streets. There is a lot of crime in the community due to unemployment; when a child doesn’t have food, they will go and steal for them to buy food. Now that we have this feeding scheme in the community, the crime has minimised.”
Faldiela Adams, a Kewtown resident, knitted blankets on the day, a selfless act she has been doing for the past three years.
“My daughter volunteers at Ladles of Love, so that is how I got involved. My friend and I knit squares so that we can make blankets for children. We do this to make a difference in the lives of these children.”
