Children supported by the Legae Child Care Centre in Mahikeng received food and clothing through a Mandela Month initiative that brought together North-West University (NWU) students, staff and community organisations.
The Faculty of Humanities Student Academic Chapter (FHUM-SAC) at the Mahikeng Campus, in collaboration with the NWU Library, Mmabatho Public Library, Ambassadors4Change NPO and the Boxer Store Mahikeng Station, visited the centre on 30 July 2026 to hand over donations aimed at supporting its work in addressing food insecurity among children.
The initiative was proposed by Yolisa Malgas, community stakeholder engagement officer for the FHUM-SAC, with support from student leaders Gwen Khoza (deputy chairperson), Molatelo Chokoe (treasurer), Sanele Mukhari (academic officer), and Vusi Mandlazi (legal officer).
The student leaders coordinated the outreach, engaged with stakeholders and helped collect and distribute donations. Staff from the Mahikeng Campus Library and the Mmabatho Public Library donated clothing, while students and other members of the NWU community also donated food and clothing.
The Boxer Store Mahikeng Station contributed through its Ubuntu Donation programme, and provided non-perishable items such as samp, rice and maize meal. Ambassadors4Change NPO also supported the initiative.
Yolisa said the outreach showed what partnerships can achieve when stakeholders respond to community needs.
“We are grateful to all everyone that donated. Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child. On behalf of the FHUM-SAC members, we would like to express our appreciation to the Boxer Store Mahikeng Station for their Ubuntu Donation, the NWU staff members for their contributions, Ambassadors4Change NPO for their support, and everyone who played a role in making this initiative possible,” said Yolisa.
Centre feeds hundreds of children
Legae Child Care Centre founder Memorie Herholdt and manager Bonno Sekgetho welcomed the NWU delegation and thanked the partners for the donations.
The centre operates seven days a week and provides meals to children, including on weekends and during school holidays, when school feeding programmes are unavailable.
Memorie said some children walk more than eight kilometres from their homes to the centre and the same distance back. For some, the meals provided by the centre are an important source of food.
“As the Legae Child Care Centre we are grateful for these donations. They do not just make a difference in one person’s life, but they bring about change in the whole community. We feed 150 to 200 children during school terms and more than 300 children during school holidays,” said Memorie.
“Our dream is to provide each child with two meals a day, especially over weekends and during school holidays when they do not get one meal at school,” she added.
The work of the centre extends beyond food support. It has assisted some orphaned children with enrolment at the NWU, helping them pursue higher education.
Volunteers also provide care and psychosocial support to children, but Bonno said a shortage of funds affects the ability of the centre to retain volunteers.
“We have volunteers who provide love, care and psychosocial support. Unfortunately, we do not have enough funds, and most of our volunteers come and go,” said Bonno.
Support needed beyond Mandela Month
While the Mandela Month initiative provided food and clothing, Memorie said the centre requires support throughout the year.
“These kinds of donations are needed. We would be grateful if we could receive this kind of support more regularly rather than only once a year. Continued support from the university and potential funders would help us provide for the children and work towards achieving our goals,” she said.
She added that stationery donations would help children with their schoolwork.
Maphefo Maake from the Mahikeng Campus Library said contributing to the initiative was part of her commitment to supporting people in need. “I am willing to help. I love giving back and being able to contribute to those who are in need”.
The Legae Child Care Centre has established a “No Child Goes Hungry” fundraising campaign on BackaBuddy to raise funds for meals and other needs. Members of the public can support the campaign through No Child Goes Hungry on BackaBuddy.
For the FHUM-SAC, the outreach provided an opportunity to put the values of caring and inclusivity of the NWU into practice through community engagement. The visit also opened the way for engagement between the university, the centre and community partners beyond Mandela Month.
FHUM-SAC student leaders, NWU staff and community partners handed over food and clothing donations to representatives of the Legae Child Care Centre in Mahikeng during a Mandela Month outreach initiative.
