BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MBABANE – For a child, hunger is not a statistic. It is the empty plate at home, the missed meal before school and the painful night of going to bed without enough food.
Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla has used this reality to rally emaSwati behind the 11th End Hunger Walk, saying the country cannot afford to look away while children struggle to meet one of their most basic needs.
Dladla said statistics indicate that one in three children goes to bed hungry, but stressed that the figure should not remain a number on paper.
“It’s not just a statistic but a reality in the communities and in families. Let’s act together for the children,” she said.
The End Hunger Walk, scheduled for October 11, 2026 at Somhlolo National Stadium, is being positioned as a collective response to that reality.
Dladla said the walk represents an obligation to protect children and give them an opportunity to grow without hunger standing in their way.
“No child should go to bed hungry nor be deprived of the chance to grow,” she said.
Her message comes as families continue to face the everyday challenge of making limited incomes stretch further.
“Food prices may rise, circumstances may grow difficult but compassion costs simply nothing,” Dladla said.
She said the walk is an opportunity for emaSwati to turn compassion into action and demonstrate that fighting hunger is a responsibility that can be shared.
“It’s for this reason we walk, that together we can make a difference,” she said.
Dladla will not only call on others to participate. She has committed herself to being part of the 5 kilometre journey.
“I will also walk the 5 kilometres walk,” she said.
Her commitment gives a personal face to the campaign, with the Deputy Prime Minister set to join other participants on the route in support of children facing hunger.
The event was launched at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, bringing together Esicojeni Foundation and stakeholders supporting its mission.
Esicojeni Foundation Vice Chairperson Marjone Balarin said the organisation remains guided by a straightforward mandate: “Esicojeni has this mandate that no child goes home without a meal that day.”
World Vision National Director Amos Zaindi also reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment, saying, “We are all committed to deliver the mandate of the foundation that no child sleeps with an empty stomach.”
The End Hunger Walk is Esicojeni Foundation’s 11th walk since the organisation was established in 2007.
But this year, the message goes beyond the 5km route. It is a call to recognise hunger in homes and communities and respond collectively.
For every participant who takes a step on October 11, the walk will carry one simple message: a child should not have to sleep hungry.
#EsicojeniFoundation #EndHungerWalk #Eswatini #NoChildHungry
