Cape Town – A Cape Flats community activist has taken it upon herself to feed more than 1,000 children daily.
Lucinda Evans has proven to be a rose among the thorns as she helps to feed 1,300 children daily in the Lavender Hill, Hillview
and Retreat communities in Cape Town.
There are six distributions points, the most
popular being a field in the heart of Lavender Hill known as the
battlefield. The battlefield is notorious for being the place where gangsters engage in horrific gang fights.
Lucinda says when the nationwide coronavirus lockdown was announced, no
one ever spoke about plans for the Cape Flats.
“When this (lockdown) happened no one came up with a plan
for the Cape Flats. No one came to speak to me. My narrative is for the
children, and with Covid-19 being the virus it is, it affects the immune system and these children’s immune systems need to be intact,” Lucinda says.
Lucinda works with a group of volunteers who join her as she goes
around to each distribution point to speak and pray for the children. Local songwriter and musician Claire Phillips is one of the volunteers.
Far right: local musician and songwriter Claire Phillips enjoys working with children
Source: Lucinda Evans
Far Left: Musician and songwriter Claire Phillips has fun while volunteering
Source: Lucinda Evans
“We have points in Lavender Hill, Cuba Heights, Hillview,
Retreat, Cafda, but we’re also supporting community workers, Warda Cay in Eastridge,
Mitchells Plain, Latifah Jacobs in Kuils River and a project in Caledon.
“We have a managing partnership with Breadline Africa and
the Newlands Rotary Club but we did not budget for the extension of the
lockdown.
“The budget was for 1,500 people, but lines are growing by a minimum of 50 people daily and I don’t have the budget for that.
“Thus, I am appealing to anyone who wants to donate to
please do so,” Lucinda says.
Lucinda is also the founder of a non-profit organisation called Philisa Abafazi Bethu, which assists abused women and children. The organisation
also offers an after-school programme to keep children off the streets and out of the clutches of gangs. In addition to that, it runs a seniors' programme.
Lucinda basks in apples that was donated for the feeding programme
Source: Lucinda Evans
Lucinda Evans speaking softly to a little boy from Lavender Hill
Source: Lucinda Evans
Local community heroes have praised Lucinda for her efforts
in assisting them.
Leeann, 31, and her husband, evangelist Bradley Solomons, 35,
from Hillview have been serving and ministering to the homeless and less
fortunate since 2017.
“We have been feeding our community in our area from our own
pockets, but due to the gang war we could not get out of the house.
“The gang war curbed us of feeding 500 to 700 people and it
was tough,” says Solomons.
He says he then asked the Lord to send someone on his path
who could assist.
“I asked God to send people on my road who could issue food
to people in my community.
“That’s where Lucinda and Philisa Abafazi Bethu stepped in.
Thanks to the donations and determination by Lucinda, we managed to feed 300 to
350 people, young and old, every day.
“The Bible says to give to someone in need is to lend to
God. We are not doing this for blessings but for those outside as we know what it’s
like to not have,” says Solomons.
As crowds of children line up with their empty containers in
hand, they keep to regulation and maintain a physical distance from each other.
Evangelist Bradley Solomons and his wife Leeann from Hillview. Source: Lucinda Evans
Lucinda Evans has been assisting Leeann Solomons and her husband feed about 350 people daily
Source: Lucinda Evans
As soon as Lucinda approaches, the faces of the children
light up. Smiling from ear to ear, they shout: "Aunty Lucinda, I am here. Look at me. Thank you, Aunty.”
Before every meal is handed out, a prayer with all
volunteers and recipients of the meal is said in unison.
Lucinda says they’ve experienced resistance from people but
will not let that deter them.
“We have received resistance for our programme, but we will
not stop.
“If they’re going to give us money, thank you very much.
But, if not, they need to step aside and let us continue,” she adds.
In October last year, Lucinda made the BBC’s Top 100 Women
list. The list included phenomenal women from across the world who are breaking
barriers in fields such as sports, science, activism and business.
She was also nominated for the position of the Western
Cape’s first child commissioner.