Isabelo was born in 2009, because no child can learn on an empty stomach.
Every morning I would drive to my restaurant The Tasting Room (Le Quartier Français, Franschhoek, South-Africa) and turn left at the bottom of the road. Within a kilometer I would be in my beautiful kitchen, working with the best produce. If I turned right at the bottom of my road and traveled 1 kilometer I would get to the middle of the township, surrounded by poverty and hunger with children who go to school every day on empty stomachs. The difference is too vast; I had to do something to start making a difference.
Margot Janse
R15.20 / € 0,95 = 1 Breakfast & 1 Lunch for 1 Child
Isabelo through the years
August 2009 : Started with nutritious muffins for 70 children at 1 creche every Friday.
September 2009: Added a Tuesday lunch; Chicken drum sticks, bananas and fruit.
February 2010: Added a Wednesday lunch; Egg, spinach & cheese frittata, fruit, milk.
March 2010: Feeding the crèche every school day.
January 2011: Started with 2 more creches, Liwalethu and Little dolphins.
January 2012 : Isabelo starts feeding 40 children of the newly opened Kusasa Early Learning Centre.
January 2012: Isabelo starts providing 700 breakfasts in 2 primary schools in Franschhoek (Dalubuhle and Wes-Eind)
April 2017: Margot leaves Le Quartier Francais, adopts Isabelo and takes the charity with her to continue its work.
April 2020: the global Covid-19 pandemic struck. Now not only were school kids going hungry but entire families, as Franschhoek locals (most of them employed within the - usually bustling - tourism sector) suddenly found themselves jobless. Click here to see how Margot, Isabelo and other local NGOs jumped right in to help.
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This year Isabelo aims to:
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provide 40 600 warm lunches.
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provide 296 380 healthy breakfasts.
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feed 336 980 nutritious meals to the primary school children in the Franschhoek Valley.
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Start supporting one more primary school in Franschhoek
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spend an average of R85 000 (€ 5 000) per month on meals.