KFC Africa has revealed the blueprint for its Add Hope programme, a 16-year initiative aimed at ending child hunger, in a move designed to scale the initiative globally. The announcement coincides with preparations for World Food Day on October 16.
The launch took place on October 7 at The Biggest Hunger Hack at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where 60 young innovators, in partnership with the university, worked to enhance the Add Hope programme to make it “even more impactful.”
“They truly get it because they’ve lived or witnessed it. They also understand technology, community and systems thinking better than most. So we gave them our blueprint and challenged them to turn it into fresh solutions for even more hope,” said Andra Nel, KFC Africa Head of Corporate Affairs.
Nel described the ideas from the hackathon as inspiring. “These ideas and the blueprint will make it easier for others to explore the recipe, share it and scale it. That’s a great way to mark World Food Day on 16 October and honour its theme of global collaboration.”
Add Hope relies on donations from KFC customers, who add R2 per meal, as well as KFC’s own funding. The initiative reached a R1 billion milestone last year, with over R600 million donated by the public and R400 million by KFC.
Panelists at the hackathon highlighted the broader social causes of hunger. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, said: “When you go to a disaster site, the first thing people ask for is food. That’s when you realise that that hunger is not two hours old, it’s been there for days.”
“Hungry children struggle to focus and retain information. Poor nutrition leads to fatigue and children struggle to take themselves out of that whirlwind,” said Siya Leshabane of UN Women.
“The reason this child is hungry has to do with household income issues, and beyond that the reason is unemployment or being unemployable,” added Luvuyo Sandi, SED business and fund manager, Kagiso Trust.
“We know it’s impacting our GDP by about 10%. Stunting is costing this country billions of rands, so we need to look at addressing child hunger as an investment in the future,” said Dr Marc Aguirre, country director at HOPE worldwide.
The hackathon also fostered collaborations with companies including McCormick, Digistics, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, Foodserv, Tiger Brands, CBH, and Nature’s Garden, with ideas to be tested over the coming months. A collaborative business-led proposal will be prepared for the National Convention early in 2026, with potential seed funding of up to R1 million for the winning solution.
“This is the first time a major South African corporation has open-sourced a successful social impact model, potentially revolutionising how businesses tackle social challenges,” Nel said.
Since 2009, Add Hope has raised over R1.2 billion, providing more than 30 million meals annually and supporting youth development through initiatives such as Mini Cricket, the Ikusasa Lethu scholarship, and the Streetwise Academy.
Sources: KFC Africa Press Release,
