Siya Leshabane (Programme Associate at UN women, South Africa), Dr Marc Aguirre (Country Director at Hope Worldwide). Kefilwe Moalosi (Nutrition and Safety Specialist at African Union Development Agency)./PHOTO ; Courtesy
In a move that redefines corporate philanthropy, KFC Africa has unveiled the blueprint of its Add Hope feeding initiative, open-sourced globally to mark World Food Day.
The company’s “secret recipe” is no longer about its 11 herbs and spices, but about a powerful formula for hope: collaboration, innovation, and the will to end child hunger.
Unveiled on October 7 at The Biggest Hunger Hack in Johannesburg, the announcement marks a significant shift for KFC’s 16-year-old social impact program.
What began as a local feeding effort has evolved into one of South Africa’s largest non-governmental nutrition initiatives, providing meals to vulnerable children across thousands of centres nationwide.
With over R1 billion raised, R600 million from the public and R400 million from KFC, the Add Hope model has proved that a simple act of generosity can scale into a national movement.
From Hackathon to Hope
Partnering with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), KFC brought together 60 of the country’s brightest young minds for a week-long hackathon to supercharge the Add Hope model.
The challenge: take the open-sourced blueprint and reimagine how it could be made even more
impactful.
KFC Africa’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Andra Nel, said the decision to engage Gen Z was deliberate.
“They truly get it because they’ve lived or witnessed hunger,” she explained.
“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.”
Nel added that the Add Hope team was “blown away” by the ideas that emerged.
“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.”
Collaboration as the Secret Ingredient
The Add Hope story is rooted in the power of partnership.
It began with KFC customers adding R2 donations to every meal, matched by corporate contributions, and ends with hot meals served daily in communities where hunger is a silent crisis.
But as Nel emphasized, collaboration remains the only way to expand impact.
“We know collaboration is the only way to scale this fight even further and address the great need that still exists, which is why we invited leaders from business, government, and civil society to join us at The Biggest Hunger Hack,” she said.
The appeal is already yielding results. Partnerships with McCormick, Digistics, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, Foodserv, Tiger Brands, CBH, and Nature’s Garden are being built to extend the reach of the programme.
“We’re hoping other organisations will heed our call to collaborate with us to scale what already works,” Nel added.
A National Challenge
Panellists at The Biggest Hunger Hack laid bare the scale of the problem.
Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, reminded the audience of hunger’s immediacy.
“When you go to a disaster site, the first thing people ask for is food. That’s when you realise that hunger
is not two hours old, it’s been there for days.”
Siya Leshabane of UN Women linked hunger to broader poverty patterns, noting that South Africa is among the 20 countries responsible for 65% of severe poverty worldwide.
“Hungry children struggle to focus and retain information. Poor nutrition leads to fatigue, and children struggle to take themselves out of that whirlwind.”
For Dr Marc Aguirre, Country Director at HOPE Worldwide, child hunger is not just a humanitarian crisis but an economic one.
“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.”
Feeding a Movement
The hackathon’s winning ideas will be refined over the coming months, with a collaborative, business-led proposal expected at a National Convention in early 2026.
This proposal aims to develop a Gen Z-driven solution to child hunger, backed by potential seed funding of up to R1 million.
“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,” said Nel.
“We’re not just feeding children anymore, we’re feeding a movement with the potential to end child hunger in countries forever. This is the secret recipe the world really needs.”
About KFC Add Hope
Launched in 2009, KFC’s Add Hope initiative has grown into one of South Africa’s most recognized social purpose programmes, using everyday acts of giving to tackle child hunger and opportunity gaps.
Through the simple addition of R2 donations from customers, combined with KFC’s own corporate contributions, the initiative has raised over R1.2 billion in 16 years, including R400 million donated directly by KFC.
The funds support a network of feeding centres and nonprofit partners that serve more than 30 million meals each year, ensuring children across the country have access to nutritious food that helps them learn, grow, and thrive.
