How Africa News
Roger Federer’s foundation announced that it had donated $1 million to provide meals for tens of thousands of children and their families in Africa while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federer, a holder of 20 Grand Slams, has roots in the continent given that his mother, Lynette, is South African.
Millions of children in Africa are beneficiaries of school feeding programmes which have proven to be compelling incentives for parents to send children to schools. School feeding programs also have a positive impact on nutritional and educational status.
However, with schools across the continent being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children now face difficult times trying to get proper meals. Moreover, other preventive measures by governments have directly or indirectly affected parents’ ability to put food on the table for themselves and their children.
Federer’s foundation took note of the prevailing situation and stepped in to try and fill in part of the gap left by the closure of schools and the increasing economic hardships.
“Covid-19 is a global health and economic crisis. As a humanitarian response, the Roger Federer Foundation has granted one million USD to provide nutritious meals for 64,000 vulnerable young children and their families through our partners in Africa while schools are closed,” the Foundation tweeted.
The Roger Federer Foundation supports educational projects located in southern Africa and Switzerland. The programmes in Africa focus on the improvement of the quality of early learning and basic education while in Switzerland they focus on promotion of extra-curricular activities for children affected by poverty.
The Foundation is currently undertaking programs in six countries in Southern Africa: Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The Foundation says an estimated 1.5 million children have benefitted from better quality education since its inception in 2004.
