Gqeberha: A Milestone Marked by Gratitude, Partnership and Purpose

“When communities take ownership, a project becomes more than an intervention — it becomes a shared commitment to every child.”

The NutriTrack journey reached another important milestone with the successful Gqeberha activation on 4 September 2026, completing the coastal leg of our activation journey after Cape Town and George.

This was more than a workshop. It became an emotional celebration of partnership, resilience and the relationships Soul Food has built with the centres we serve.

A Moment of Appreciation

One of the most touching moments came from Sunrise, which presented Soul Food with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of the support and relationship built with the centre.

The gesture was a powerful reminder that our work is ultimately about people. While we measure meals, reach and nutritional outcomes, the trust established with our centres is equally important.

The day also carried special significance as we celebrated the health and recovery of our Gqeberha Branch Manager, who earlier this year faced a period of illness that kept him away from work for more than a month. Seeing him back alongside the team and participating in this important milestone made the occasion particularly meaningful.

Centres Ready to Take Ownership

The participating centres did not simply attend the activation — they engaged, asked questions and embraced their role in NutriTrack.

Together with the University of Pretoria team, the session strengthened understanding of the project, nutritional monitoring and the practical implementation that now follows at centre level.

That ownership is critical. NutriTrack is not something being done to our ECD centres; it is something we are building with them.

ISUZU: Going Further With Us

We were especially pleased to welcome Lumka Nyamela from ISUZU Motors South Africa to the activation.

Having ISUZU represented on the day strengthened a partnership that has already travelled many kilometres with NutriTrack. The vehicle provided by ISUZU has helped move our team and equipment through the rollout, and we are deeply grateful that the vehicle loan has now been extended beyond the Gqeberha activation, enabling it to continue supporting implementation.

From long-distance travel to reaching centres on the ground, this partnership demonstrates how corporate support can become a practical enabler of social impact.

From Activation to Action

With Steelpoort, Northern Cape, Sedibeng, Cape Town, George and now Gqeberha activated, the project is moving decisively from preparation into implementation.

Our fieldworkers and participating centres now carry the responsibility of translating the training, equipment and partnerships into meaningful action: measuring children, identifying nutritional risk, supporting appropriate interventions and building the evidence needed to understand the impact of nutrition on the children we serve.

Next, the NutriTrack journey returns to Gauteng, where the remaining activations will continue the momentum.

To our participating Gqeberha centres, the University of Pretoria team, Lumka and the ISUZU team, our Soul Food colleagues and everyone who made the day possible: thank you for believing in this journey and, most importantly, for taking ownership of it.

Gqeberha reminded us that NutriTrack is not only about measuring growth. It is about strengthening relationships, recognising resilience and working together so that every child has a better opportunity to grow and thrive.

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