Food For Life carries on with their regular duties that they perform daily. Today was no different as FFL partnered with NCP Alcohols to serve sumptuous and nutritious meals to 1200 school children and teachers at both Inanda Special School and Kenville Primary School.
Yes Madiba, the words spoken by yourself 15 years ago at the event held at Kings Park stadium, Durban,is in keeping with our objectives , Since eating food is one of the two main functions of the tongue and so central to our survival, it is logically one of the most effective mediums to initiate change in consciousness. Each of us has had the experience of sitting down to a meal cooked with love and felt an immediate transformation of consciousness followed by a feeling of reciprocal love for the person that prepared the meal. The fact is that food, when prepared with loving intention, can communicate in any language. Such food has the ability to break down barriers and turn anger into love, fear into trust, and ignorance into enlightenment.
When you are living consciously, beginning with conscious eating, you will do so in all your thoughts and actions. Your life will be consistent and in harmony with your environment. You will complement your environment and not disrupt it. Feeding programs of this nature would not be realized without the support of companies like NCP Alcohols and others. It is important to note that Food For Life is sustained through your contributions.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Children,
I am delighted to be here today. It always gives me great pleasure to be
surrounded by the beautiful children of our land. Whenever I am with energetic
young people such as yourselves I feel like a recharged battery; confident that
our country can look forward to great things. You are the future of this country
– you are the people who will lead us into the next century.
It is the job of today’s leaders to make sure that by the time your turn
comes to lead our country, it will be an enjoyable task to perform.
The programme of our government is like building a big house for all South
Africans. It must be well-built with strong foundations. It must be big enough
to shelter the whole family; and all who live in it must be in comfort and have
their basic needs met.
Many of you are too young to remember much about the old house of apartheid.
It was built on very shaky foundations. It barred doors and divided us into a
few who lived well and the rest who were held back, and then it kept us apart
from each other. Your parents’ generation had to fight apartheid, get rid of it
and then lay the foundation for a free and secure society.
It is only three years since South Africa achieved democracy. But in that
time the foundations for a better life have been laid. Now it is up to each one
of us help build on those foundations.
One of the most important building blocks is our concern for our children.
That is why children have special protection in our new constitution, the most
important law of our land. That is why one of the first things the government
did was to make sure that young children under the age of six could get free
health care in the clinics and hospitals of our country. That is why we have
school feeding schemes, to make sure children do not go hungry at school. That
is why we are making sure that all South Africa’s children can get the best
education the country can afford. And that is why we are doing our best to
prevent the abuse of children.
Another important building block fur new democracy is the love and goodwill
we show to each other. That is the spirit of Masakhane, of building one another
together it is also the spirit of today’s festival organised by Hare Krishna
Food for Life.
I take this opportunity to extend our warmest thanks on behalf of all of us
here today for the kindness and dedication that you have shown by bringing us
all together. Your goal of a hunger-free South Africa is one that is shared by
the government and the ANC. It is central to the reconstruction and development
of our country. Already more than four million people – school children and
other people – have been reached by our nutrition programmes. Your efforts are
making a practical contribution to this most urgent task.
Together with the sponsors, you have helped us send a message to the world
that the children of South Africa are free and that South Africa cares for its
children
that apartheid did was to divide our children, and prevent them from living,
studying and playing together. Today we can see how much we all missed. Today we
can see that our children are leading in the building of the new South Africa.
You should never forget that most of your parents did not have the rights
that you enjoy; and that they struggled hard and sacrificed mush so that you
could enjoy them. We must all work even harder to protect them. By studying hard
at school and acquiring skills so that you can become productive members of
society you will also protect our new democracy and make South Africa a better
place to live.
When I look at the joy on your faces I know that we have a bright future. Let
us all work together to ensure that our country grows into a happy family, free
from the divisions and the poverty of the past.
Let me end by assuring each and every one of you that we love you. You are
our nation’s most precious treasure and the hope of our Rainbow Nation.
I thank you.