More than 800 Cape Town primary school pupils received breakfast, rugby coaching and learning materials through the Emirates Nourishment Programme. Emirates delivered the school visit with European Professional Club Rugby, known as EPCR, and the Kolisi Foundation.
Emirates cabin crew and programme partners served porridge before DHL Stormers players led a rugby clinic. Pupils also received books and school supplies, made bag charms from reused aircraft leather and helped paint a mural.
The visit highlighted a wider programme that aims to provide approximately 400,000 breakfasts a year to around 2,000 learners. Launched in June 2026, the partnership covers schools and early childhood development centres in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
Regular Breakfasts Are the Programme’s Main Commitment
The partners delivered more than 35,000 breakfasts across participating sites between June and September 2026. They plan to continue the programme until at least 2030.
At the Cape Town school, representatives from the partner organisations prepared and served breakfast porridge. The meal demonstrated how the programme works at school level. Regular breakfasts are intended to help children arrive ready for lessons and take part in classroom activities.
The first four months provide a count of breakfasts already served. The annual target describes the scale the partners want to reach as regular meal provision continues across the three cities. For schools and early childhood centres, the commitment extends beyond the activities held during the Cape Town visit.
DHL Stormers Players Turn Rugby Into a Team Exercise
DHL Stormers players Siya Kolisi, Vernon Matongo and their teammates introduced pupils to basic rugby skills through drills and small-sided games. The exercises gave children opportunities to communicate, solve problems and work together while learning the sport.
Kolisi, who founded the Kolisi Foundation, highlighted how limited access to food, learning resources and encouragement can affect children’s opportunities. Matongo spoke about pupils who depend on a morning meal and noted that some professional players had faced similar challenges growing up.
For EPCR, the visit formed part of its impACT social responsibility strategy, which aims to support communities beyond rugby competitions. The clinic gave pupils direct time with professional players and a chance to practise the teamwork those players use on the pitch.
Books and Aircraft Materials Add Hands-On Learning
Emirates delivered 820 Aircrafted KIDS backpacks containing stationery, water bottles and age-appropriate books by local authors. The books give pupils stories to read and share, while the stationery provides supplies they can use in class.
The airline says it has distributed nearly 4,000 Aircrafted KIDS backpacks to schools and community centres worldwide. The Cape Town delivery links that global initiative with the local breakfast partnership.
Maite Gonzalez Eizaguirre, Head of Emirates Aircrafted, led a workshop with support from cabin crew and colleagues. Pupils made personalised bag charms from leather previously used on Emirates A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Turning the material into something they could take home gave the children a practical example of reuse.
Pupils Paint a Water Conservation Message
Cape Town artist Skhumbuzo Salman, founder of Skubalisto, worked with pupils on a mural for an exterior school wall. The design features Table Mountain, proteas and greenery around a young figure, with water conservation as its central theme.
Pupils painted much of the background. For many, it was their first time using spray paint. Their contribution made the mural a shared project and left a visible record of the visit on the school grounds.
School principal Brenda Mangali welcomed the involvement of families, partners and the local community. Kolisi Foundation managing director Mahlatse Mashua highlighted the value of bringing nutrition, education and sport together through a sustained partnership.
The Partnership Continues Across Three Cities
Emirates’ Southern Africa regional manager, Afzal Parambil, linked the initiative to the airline’s commitment to communities it serves. In Cape Town, that took the form of breakfast, classroom supplies and time with local artists and sporting role models.
The school visit showed how the partners can combine their different roles in one place. The airline brought staff and materials, the players led the rugby session, and pupils helped create artwork that will stay at the school. Across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, the work planned through at least 2030 is more routine. It centres on getting breakfast to participating schools and early childhood centres so children can start the day ready to learn.
For more travel news like this, keep reading Global Travel Wire
