What happens when two renowned athletes put their minds to making a difference and giving back to communities? Foundations like the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa and Louis Oosthuizen’s Foundation57 are formed, and lives are saved!

Children need a balanced, healthy diet to support their bodies and brains. Proper nutrition helps them grow, become stronger, learn, remember, and concentrate so that they can perform better in all areas of life.

A recent article by the Daily Maverick stated that about “2.8 million children experienced hunger weekly in South Africa in 2021, and 600,000 children experienced perpetual hunger (i.e., hunger every day or almost every day).”

Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco said, “These statistics are shocking and tragic. Not one child or adult should go hungry on our watch. Together, we can and will do something about it!

“Under our theme for 2021, #educate2gether, and as part of my Foundation’s #feed2gether initiative, we have joined forces with Louis Oosthuizen from Foundation57, specifically the iPapa57 Feeding the Children programme,” HSH added.

The #feed2gether initiative aims to benefit more children as well as the community and society at large. The goal is to raise funds to fund the production of iPapa57’s specially formulated maize product that will feed many children between the ages of 3 and 5.

Foundation57 launched iPapa57 in October 2017 and developed the maize product to meet the children’s daily nutritional needs while ensuring the programme would be sustainable. The maize product comes in different flavours and is mixed with water.

iPapa57 focuses on the building block of nutrition by helping to reduce short-term hunger and improve child nutrition. Currently, the programme feeds between 460 and 480 children at 18 SmartStart Early Childhood Development (ECD) community centres in the Mossel Bay area.

In 2020, Foundation57 also adjusted the programme to assist in feeding the poorest of the poor through official channels. They broadened the feeding programme to include the families of the iPapa57 ECD kids, other vulnerable families in the community and took hands with the local authorities to feed the homeless.

Petrie Cronje, CEO of Foundation57, says, “Healthier and better-nourished children reduce the burden on society. Our vision is to expand the feeding programme to the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape regions with the assistance of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa.

“When HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco reached out to Louis as one of the celebrity ambassadors for the #strongtogether initiative in 2020, they decided we could make a much bigger impact together. We’re so excited to have the support of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa,” Cronje concluded.

Donors can make a difference in our children’s lives by contributing directly on the PCMFSA website (https://donate.feed2gether.online/). When you donate to #feed2gether, you also stand a chance to win the following prizes:

• Two tickets to attend the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July 2022 with HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco and Louis Oosthuizen
• Mounted replica 4-iron of Louis Oosthuizen’s Double Eagle at the Augusta Masters (2012)
• Two red wine bottles signed by Louis (2017 Pinotage made, matured, and bottled by Boschkloof Stellenbosch)
• Two caps signed by Louis
• Ten dozen Titleist golf balls with Louis’ logo
• Three Ping wedges and three hybrid clubs, each worth between R3 500 and R5 000

Let’s #feed2gether in 2021!

*Winners will be chosen by random draw.

About the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa

Sport has the power to inspire young people and transform lives. This central idea prompted Princess Charlene of Monaco to launch a foundation that would work to end death and disease caused by water fatalities. The Foundation focuses on the fact that drowning is a preventable epidemic that predominantly affects children and youth. In the six years since its inception, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has established 149 projects in 33 countries, reaching nearly half a million people, mostly children.

These programmes raise awareness about the crucial issue of water safety and teach people to swim. The Foundation also uses the transformative power of sport’s positive values by giving children access to various sporting disciplines. Its Sport and Education initiatives include providing financial support to talented athletes who lack the funds to realise their dreams.

In South Africa, the Foundation has implemented projects in Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng. These projects reach out to underprivileged youth and teach them how to enjoy the benefits of sport in a safe and controlled manner. Thus far, the Foundation has worked with thousands of South African youths. Through the efforts of the SA chapter of the Foundation, many more young lives will benefit. The Foundation’s valuable work also extends to children from disabled communities, who are often marginalised and neglected.

About the Louis Oosthuizen Foundation57

In 2009, Louis Oosthuizen founded the LOUIS57 Foundation, inspired by the sponsorship he received during his amateur years. Louis and his wife, Nel-Mare, have a passion for supporting children with special needs. Foundation57 is the bridge between donors and these children. Foundation57 has four registered charity beneficiaries.

Foundation57’s vision is to assist in national and local efforts to ensure that children’s basic needs are met in their early years of development. These basic needs or building blocks include Love and Care, Nutrition and Good Health, Safety: Physical and Emotional, and Stimulation: Learning Opportunities.

Through fundraising projects and events, donations and funds are distributed to:

• iPapa57: Early Childhood Development (ECD) feeding programme
• LOUIS57 Kids With Cancer: Paediatric cancer patients
• Leolan Academy: School for kids with special needs, including autism and down-syndrome
• LOUIS57 Junior Golf Academy: Golf academy and golf development programme

The Louis57 Foundation believes there’s something each person can do to make life better for our children.