PENINSULA School Feeding Association chairperson Yusuf Kader is delighted to have joined the ranks of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Ahmed Kathrada as an honorary member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, although he never worked for such recognition, he says.
The Golden Key International Honour Society is the world’s largest academic honour society and was founded in the USA nearly 37 years ago.
It recognises excellence in academic achievements, leadership skills and community involvement and this month Kader, who has been with the association for 35 years, joined the international club.
“I am over the moon, although I never worked to be recognised. My aim has always been to see to the needs of the community. I joined the Peninsula School Feeding Association when I was still a principal at Delta Primary near Lavender Hill. There I really saw poverty and have wanted to be actively involved in making a difference for many years,” Kader, 72, said.
The association today feeds 350 000 pupils at 258 schools.
Kader said he is proud of the way the association has grown.
“When we started the Blisters for Bread Walk about 48 years ago, we were delighted to have 200 walkers. At the last walk we had 20 000 participants,” he said.
Association fundraising manager Charles Grey said everyone was extremely proud of their chairperson.
“We thank the Golden Key Society UCT for selecting PSFA as one of their charities of choice for 2016 and organising various fundraising events on our behalf. The society managed to raise enough funding to enable PSFA to provide a class of 34 underprivileged school children with a healthy breakfast and lunch for an entire year,” Grey said.