Give them food vouchers instead of money. That is the plan Cape Town NGO One Love has devised in the hope of weaning street children off glue addictions and, eventually, back home and into school.



Booklets of ten food vouchers cost R20. Each voucher is worth a meal at One Love's offices in Plein Street in Cape Town. "The vouchers may be given to street children," said One Love's chairperson Susan Rabinowitz.


"In exchange they receive bread, preserves, a drink and something warm to eat, depending on the donations - leftovers from restaurants that support our cause."

One Love came up with the voucher system after realising the difficulty of getting children to break free of begging.


"We encourage people to buy the booklets and giving begging children a voucher instead of money as it is spent on anything but food. Glue, for instance," said a social work at One Love.



One Love was founded in 2003 to serve meals to the homeless and especially to Street Children on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Now it also provides lunch five days a week. No one is turned away at lunch or dinner, but children wanting food outside these times require a voucher.

Apart from food, the children get the chance to talk to social workers and volunteers about their problems, and their lives on the street. One Love helps Children to break free form their lives on the streets, by giving them advise and by cooperating with other Street Children NGO's and the local government.

The vouchers are sold at over 40 establishments in Cape Town, including:
* Wordsworth in the Gardens Centre, Gardens
* Most backpackers such as Long Street Backpackers on Long Street
* Charly's Coffee Shop on Roeland Street,
* Spur Steak Ranch on Main Road in Seapoint
* New York Bagel on Main Road in Sea Point.



Source: Miriam Mannak / Cape Times / January 25, 2005

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