To reach the people who most needed help, the Salesian missionaries worked in synergy with the "Don Bosco Educational Projects", with the "Salesian Institute Youth Projects", and with other Salesian organizations, which were able to identify the most vulnerable in their communities and to distribute food aid to them. A total of 1,030 families, with an impact on 6,592 people, received the aid over the course of three months.
Of this support, Mrs Linda, from Cape Town, bears witness. Her husband, who worked part-time as a gardener before the national lockdown, lost his job and Linda often had to go to soup kitchens set up for the poor, looking for food to feed her family. In these months they survived only on rations of bread and black tea. When she received food aid from the Salesians, Linda said: "The food package has had a great impact on our daily life. I can give my family a cooked meal and save my few cents. Thanks to the Salesians for their kindness and for remembering us, the poor."
In Eswatini, food kits helped Tengetile, a student who lives with her grandparents, after her father died. The grandparents, with their pension, were unable to feed her adequately and often the family ate only "pap", a semolina and corn porridge. "This food is a great gift from God," said Tengetile. "I'm grateful for these kits, which make my grandparents feel more at ease and allow me to improve the quality of studying at school."
The Salesian missionaries were able to secure the funds to continue the aid until the beginning of 2021, when it is hoped that there will be less serious repercussions on the labor market and that the population can return to a certain normalcy.
According to UNICEF, poverty is widespread in South Africa, with over 63% of children living below the poverty line.
