The Ekurhuleni Center for Orphans and Vulnerable Children is located in Tinstwalo Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The village borders South Africa’s famed Kruger Park, home of the “big five” — the lion, rhinoceros, elephant, and leopard.

 

The Ekurhuleni Center serves approximately 230 children, ranging in ages from five to 18. Most are orphans, many of them having lost their parents to HIV and AIDS.

 

The children receive one meal per day, usually composed of “pap,” a highly processed cornmeal, some beans, and occasionally some vegetables from their garden. Once a week, a serving of meat is provided.

 

On the whole, their diets are deficient in both nutrition and calories.

 

The Monte Foundation for Creating a Healthier World has committed to providing the Ekurhuleni Children with three plant-based meals per day, plus two-to-three servings of fermented vegetables per day.

 

Our intention is to transform their microbiomes — the vast population microflora living in the digestive tract — and thereby restore their physical, mental, and emotional health.

 

Scientists from the Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy have partnered with the Monte Foundation to study the effects of the Foundation’s program on the physical and mental health of the children.

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The Monte Foundation’s vision is to utilize our breakthrough program to transform the health and well being of people — not just in South Africa, but in the U.S. and around the world.

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See below for more on our project, the Tufts University scientific study, and the power of the microbiome to restore health.