In South Africa, sixty young Gen Z entrepreneurs gathered for a week-long initiative to tackle child hunger, creating tech-driven solutions that deliver measurable social impact efficiently and sustainably.
During The Biggest Hunger Hack, organized by KFC Africa, teams leveraged artificial intelligence, blockchain, and community-based platforms to enhance Add Hope, a program supporting over 3,300 feeding centers and reaching more than 154,000 children.
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The winning team, Ctrl-Alt-Del-Hunger, launched Misfits Mzansi, an app that rescues surplus fruits and vegetables for vulnerable families while integrating educational content and advertising challenges that generate revenue. Other teams developed social media-linked donation systems, chatbots for transparent payments, and blockchain platforms that trace every R2 donated, encouraging recurring contributions.
“Innovation with purpose emerges when young people who have experienced hunger understand the technology they’ve mastered since birth,” said Andra Nel, Brand Purpose and ESG Director at KFC Africa. Next steps include pilot programs with Add Hope partners, with results expected for the National Child Hunger Convention.
These Gen Z initiatives demonstrate how technology can amplify the economic impact of each donation, optimize resources, and ensure transparency in the fight against child hunger.