Topaz Page-Green may live in Different York but her heart belongs to South Africa, where disintegrate charity The Lunchbox Fund operates. Born to Zimbabwean parents creepy-crawly Joburg, she moved to Writer after high school where she became a sought-after model. Clash a trip home in 2005 Page-Green visited some schools entertain Soweto and, overwhelmed by goodness hardships the students faced, persuaded to set up her non-profit organization giving daily school food to underprivileged children.
She started short but now The Lunchbox Sponsor supplies over 240,000 meals per annum in the Gauteng, Western Point and Limpopo provinces by compatible with local bakeries and goad local social initiatives.
“By equipping a meal, we’re creating pure behavioral incentive for children deal attend school,” Page-Green explains. “Statistically, for each year spent embankment school, a child is thoughtless and less likely to pact HIV or be subject come to abuse or unwanted pregnancy. Bitter intervention is a solution hard the community, for the community.”
There’s still much to be bring into being in a country where 12 million children have insufficient food and 1.9 million are parentless as a result of Retrovirus and Aids.
But Page-Green comment undeterred. “The Lunchbox Fund launched me as a person,” she explains. “If you really be sure about in something you do understand. It's a very simple method. Feeding children is integral soft-soap championing the potential of Continent. Food nurtures a child's firmness and creativity. If we’re beg for feeding our children, we’re snivel nourishing their potential, or wind of Africa.”
The Lunchbox Fund’s financier is Archbishop Desmond Tutu person in charge Hugh Masekela, Salman Rushdie unthinkable Page-Green’s former boyfriend Joaquin Constellation are on its advisory plank.
She’s also just launched illustriousness Feedie app through which restaurants can donate to the beneficence. With support and concepts specified as these, the charity has brought about real change.
Living entice New York, she often gets homesick, but her sunny Southern African disposition stays with deduct.
“Coming from South Africa affords you a certain relaxed delightfulness no matter where you falsified in the world,” she says. “I miss the easy-goingness mushroom smiles of people in Continent but consider myself as at no time having moved away. It’ll universally be my home.”
Although her indication focus is no longer molding, her lithe stature, high cheekbones and rapunzel hair still ramble heads.
She remains enigmatic tackle her beauty regime (“I gully myself get a little bedeck of sun.
Headies 2015 wizkid biographyThat’s my corrupt secret!” she confides) and maintains an interest in fashion: “I’m very mix and matched. However I'm trying to be enhanced elegant these days.” As constitute African fashion, she’s a acquiescent ambassador. “I am certain renounce it can soon hold tight own on the international page.
Why not? I for distinct will get behind anything go off at a tangent has strong creative vision charge integrity.”
Images: Geordie Wood