A bright red tractor is the newest tool in the fight against hunger in Khayelitsha, after community leader Vivian “Mama Vivian” Zilo-Ncana received the machine from supporters at Virginia Tech in the United States. The donation, the result of two years of fundraising by students, faculty and alumni, is set to boost a farm that already helps feed schoolchildren and thousands of residents near Cape Town.
The gift marks a milestone for a programme that has grown from a grassroots nutrition effort into a substantial food security operation serving one of South Africa’s largest townships.
A mission rooted in 2004
Mama Vivian founded the Iliso Care Society, a nonprofit nutrition programme, in Khayelitsha in 2004. Since then, her work has centred on making sure local children and families have enough to eat.
That mission expanded significantly in 2023, when the government granted her roughly 75 acres of land to grow food for the surrounding communities. The farm has become a lifeline in an area home to roughly 400,000 residents.
Today, the produce grown on that land supports three daily meals for local schoolchildren. The surplus is shared even more widely, supplying food to around 3,800 residents a week.
Two years of fundraising pays off
The red tractor arrived in 2026 as the culmination of a sustained effort by the Virginia Tech community. Students, faculty and alumni raised the funds over two years to make the donation possible.
For a farm operating at this scale, the value of a tractor is hard to overstate. Mechanised equipment can dramatically increase how much land a small team can cultivate, helping Mama Vivian’s farm produce more food for the children and families who depend on it.
Strengthening a cross-continental partnership
The donation reflects a relationship that links Khayelitsha with supporters thousands of kilometres away, built on a shared commitment to food security. The fundraising effort grew out of ties between the Virginia Tech community and Mama Vivian’s work on the ground in South Africa.
With the new tractor in her fields, Mama Vivian is positioned to expand the reach of a programme that began two decades ago and has steadily grown to nourish thousands. The machine stands as a practical investment in the daily meals that local schoolchildren and residents rely on.
From a single nutrition programme launched in 2004 to a 75-acre farm feeding a township, the story of the Iliso Care Society shows how local determination and outside support can combine to put food on the table for those who need it most.
Photo: morningagclips.com
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