Thanks to a partnership between the largest food distribution NPO FoodForward SA and a leading cryptocurrency platform, Luno, South Africans will now be able to make donations in popular crypto, Bitcoin.
A recent survey collected data on a representative sample of South African households from May 2020 to March 2021, showed that a very high level of 16-17% of households report household hunger – yet one third of all the food produced is either lost or wasted each year. Non-profit FoodForward SA recovers good quality, edible surplus food from manufacturers, retailers and farmers to re-distribute to nearly 2,750 vetted organisations that reach nearly 950,000 vulnerable people daily.
Using crypto for donations offers transparency and ensures that all payments are completely auditable. Andy Du Plessis, the managing director at FoodForward SA says, “Transparency and innovation are central to the way we operate at FoodForward SA. Thanks to our partnership with Luno, SA’s largest crypto platform, donors can contribute Bitcoin to support our food security efforts. The underlying technology prevents corruption and reduces fees, which is vital for any non-profit organisation.”
Christo de Wit, Luno’s SA country manager, says that another benefit is the ability to receive Bitcoin donations almost instantly from anywhere in the world. “Bitcoin transactions are transparent so you know that your full donation is going directly to the cause. And there are no charges to the organisation other than the standard fee charged by the Bitcoin network. 100% of the amount donated goes directly to FoodForward SA. In this way, FoodForward SA can reach even more vulnerable South Africans,” he adds.
FoodForward SA’s model connects a world of excess to a world of need, using surplus food as a catalyst for social change in under-served communities. In the last financial year, it delivered 48 million meals to vulnerable people across South Africa.
“Stringent specification requirements, cold-chain and processing inadequacies, as well as poor access to markets means that more than half of all edible agricultural production is wasted. Our Second Harvest programme recovers edible surplus food from farmers and growers, enabling them to donate their post-harvest surplus.” says Du Plessis.
Luno has made it simple, safe and easy to donate Bitcoin. Donors do not have to be Luno customers to contribute. Delivering one meal costs FoodForward SA only R0,68.
“Crypto is creating a new financial system and we are thrilled that the benefits of this new system will make a positive contribution to fighting hunger in South Africa,” says de Wit.
It’s easy to donate in crypto to FoodForward SA – simply go to foodforwardsa.org/donate. More information about how to make a crypto payment is available in Luno’s help articles.
