A Game-Changing Partnership: Knysna Education Trust and Food Lovers Market Aims to Transform Child Nutrition in Knysna
A new partnership between the Knysna Education Trust (KET) and Food Lovers Market aims to change the way early childhood development (ECD) centres provide meals for young children — moving from ad hoc meal planning to professionally designed, protein-rich menus that support brain development during the most critical years of a child’s life.
Child hunger in Knysna is a growing crisis. With 63% of residents living below the poverty line – the second highest rate in the Garden Route District – many young children arrive at ECD centres each day without any food for lunch.
“Children cannot learn when they are hungry, and their bodies cannot develop without the essential nutrition they need,” says Nella Gysman from the Knysna Education Trust. “In many of the ECD facilities we support, children face hunger daily. Their parents simply can’t always afford food, which means that the meal they receive at school is sometimes their only one of the day.”
According to the Children’s Institute’s Child Gauge (2024), nutritional stunting among children aged 0–5 has risen from 27% to 29%. The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) Household Affordability Index estimates that a basic nutritional food basket for a family of four now costs around R3,690 per month (2025) — far beyond the reach of families surviving on minimum wage or social grants. With unemployment in Knysna at 24.3%, the number of families unable to provide regular, nutritious meals is increasing.
Thanks to the Paul van Zuydam Foundation, KET provides a daily meal for about 1,300 children at 39 of the most vulnerable ECD centres. In addition, e’Pap continues to supply many sites with fortified nutritious porridge each morning.
“The shift from the previous voucher system to this new partnership represents a fundamental change in approach,” explains Gysman. “Previously, ECD centres received vouchers and had to plan their own meals, often resulting in well-intentioned but nutritionally inadequate menus where expensive protein was left out to stretch budgets.”
During the first five years of life, a child’s brain forms neural connections at an astonishing rate — up to 1,000 connections per second. Protein plays a vital role in this process: children who lack adequate protein show slower cognitive development, reduced information processing speed, and lower vocabulary growth.
Under the new system, a qualified nutritionist designs balanced, affordable menus tailored to young children’s developmental needs. Food Lovers Market then prepares and delivers ingredient packs with exact quantities for each centre based on enrolment numbers. This ensures consistency, eliminates guesswork, and — most importantly — guarantees that children receive the protein essential for healthy brain development.
The bulk purchasing model not only improves nutritional quality but also stretches budgets further. Food Lovers Market adds value through specials and locally sourced products, creating a win–win partnership that maximises both efficiency and impact.
Quality early childhood programmes that include good nutrition are powerful equalisers in unequal societies. They unlock children’s potential and set them on pathways of “compounding positive effects” as they enter school and beyond. Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman has shown that investment in early childhood development is one of the most effective ways to break intergenerational cycles of poverty, as the first five years of life lay the foundation for all future learning and growth.
The ultimate goal is to expand this model beyond the 39 participating centres so that every ECD centre in Knysna can offer the same high-quality feeding system. When all children receive proper nutrition and stimulation during their early years, socioeconomic background becomes less predictive of future success — giving every child a fair start.
“This partnership shows what can be achieved when business and civil society work together for a common purpose,” says Herman Kapp of Food Lovers Market. “We’re proud to play a part in ensuring Knysna’s youngest children can grow, learn, and thrive.”
How You Can Help
There are still around 2,000 children at another 27 ECD sites in Knysna’s most impoverished areas who urgently need nutrition support. Every contribution makes a difference. A small monthly or annual donation to KET’s Adopt a Centre of Excellence programme can help extend this initiative to more children.