Bridgetown advocate Caroline Peters tackles child malnutrition at summit
Caroline Peters, founder and executive director of the Callas Foundation, was a key speaker at the seventh Annual Social Justice Summit at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Image: Supplied
Caroline Peters, founder and executive director of the Callas Foundation, was a keynote speaker at the seventh Annual Social Justice Summit at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) earlier this month.
The summit, under the theme “Towards Food Sovereignty and the Eradication of Child Stunting,” brought together government representatives, academics, civil society leaders, and activists to discuss practical solutions to hunger and inequality in South Africa.
As anchor of the plenary session, Eradication of Child Stunting and Malnutrition Towards Food Sovereignty, Ms Peters highlighted the lived realities of Cape Flats communities, where food insecurity intersects with poverty, gender-based violence, and systemic inequality.
Caroline Peters, Founder and Executive Director of the Callas Foundation, was handed her award by Professor Thuli Madonsela, former public protector and Law Trust Chair in Social Justice, at the Santam Women of the Future Awards.
Image: Supplied
“In a country that promised dignity and equality, a hungry child is not a statistic - it’s a constitutional failure,” Ms Peters said.
“Hunger is trauma, hunger is violent, and it needs a government response - not a charitable one. Feeding people is not charity, it’s justice made visible.”
Under her leadership, the Callas Foundation and the Western Cape Community Kitchen Network have become beacons of hope, feeding thousands while empowering women as community leaders and first responders.
Ms Peters urged government-led interventions, sustainable funding for community kitchens, and paid support for cooks who also serve as caregivers and advocates for survivors of gender-based violence.
Ms Peters’ summit participation follows her recent recognition at the Santam Women of the Future Awards, celebrating her leadership in social justice, gender advocacy, and community empowerment.
“Receiving this recognition is deeply humbling,” she said.
“It’s not just my story - it’s the story of every woman on the Cape Flats who feeds, protects, and rebuilds her community with courage and grace.”
Through initiatives like the Western Cape Community Kitchen Network, the Building Bonding Beyond Boys Programme, and Human Rights Clubs in schools, the Callas Foundation bridges grassroots action and national policy.
The Summit reaffirmed that achieving food sovereignty and social equity requires collective commitment to ensure no child goes to bed hungry, she said.