Roger Federer Foundation donates $1 million to Africa

The Roger Federer Foundation has donated $1 million (£826,000/€924,000) to provide meals for families in Africa affected by school closures because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

The normally provided school meals are often the only nutritious meal children get. With schools now closed, children no longer have access to these meals. Hunger is a problem, in particular in the countries with lockdowns where vulnerable families have no reserves. Janine Händel, Chief Executive Roger Federer Foundation

The donation will help to feed 64,000 vulnerable young children impacted as a result of the closures, who would normally rely on free school meals.

The Foundation is working with local partners in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi to provide the extra food over the next two months.

“The normally provided school meals are often the only nutritious meal children get,” said Janine Händel, Chief Executive of the Roger Federer Foundation.

“With schools now closed, children no longer have access to these meals.

“Hunger is a problem, in particular in the countries with lockdowns where vulnerable families have no reserves.”

The Foundation was founded in 2003 and supports educational projects in southern Africa and Federer’s native Switzerland.

Those projects in Africa focus on early learning and basic education, while in Switzerland extra-curricular activities for children impacted by poverty are promoted.

Born to a Swiss-German father and a South African mother, Federer focuses his Foundation on the two areas of the world where he has heritage.

There have been in excess of 83,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Africa to date, resulting in the deaths of at least 2,730 people.