CNDCs Awarded in Nelson Mandela Bay
By Luvuyo Ndarane
Some of the recepients of Awards and Certificates
Community Nutrition and Development Centres (CNDCs) were treated to a glitzy awards and certification ceremony in Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on the 5th of December this year. The ceremony was to award and hand over certificates to the CNDCs for the job they are doing in communities.
CNDCs are centres that were established by the department of Social Development to cater for the citizens that are poor and are unable to get food on their own. The department of Social Development is driving a programme of community poverty eradication using CNDCs, among others, as a driving force. The CNDC programme is pushing for a forceful and organised response to food shortages and nutrition insecurity by establishing larger networks of food distribution centres to distribute food to food-insecure areas. Teams of professionals and community workers are dispatched to the different wards in communities to visit and assess levels of poverty-specific needs in various households. The long-term goal is for these households to receive assistance and support in a coordinated and sustained format.
CNDCs work as centres where profiled individuals who are living under the poverty line go to get a nutritiously balanced plate of food on a daily basis. Social Development is supporting these centres to continue giving their service to communities in places that are healthier by monitoring them regularly to ensure that they meet the required standards.
In each district there was a competition among the CNDCs based on cleanliness of their centres and their products as well as the nutrition value of their products. Those that came up tops in their districts received awards and certificates on this day. The handing-over of awards and certificates is the culmination of the competition held in the districts that was adjudicated based on different categories like Best Performing, Best Promising and Best CNDC with Developmental Activities.
Of all the CNDCs in Eastern Cape, Siphumeze from Buffalo City Metro received an award as the best performing CNDC in the province. Sinelizwi from OR Tambo district is the best runners-up in this category while Mavenu from Alfred Nzo district completes the trio of best performing CNDCs. Likusasa Lomama from Nelson Mandela Metro dominated the Best Promising category while in the Best CNDC with Developmental Activities category the Healing Minds from the same district emerged as the best centre.
While giving a speech in this event, the Deputy Director General (DDG) of the department of Social Development Mr Netshipale stressed the "need for the department to continue supporting CNDCs" as one of the strongest mechanisms to fight poverty in communities. Members of Siphumeze were over the moon when announced as the best CNDC. Thembisa Thandani who is a member of this centre could not contain herself when she said she is very happy for their centre and they will take strength from winning the award.