CAFES in Chipping Norton have been praised after raising enough money last year to buy nearly 500 meals for hungry children in Africa.

The Rafiki Thabo Foundation, launched in the town last May, helps young people in Kenya, Uganda and Lesotho reach their full potential by providing nutritious meals.

Between May and December, four cafes in Chipping Norton who had already signed up to help the Rafiki programme, managed to raise enough money to pay for 488 meals, which cost 35p each.

They each raise the funds in their own way, either through asking customers if they would like to donate, or putting a collection tin by the till.

Director of the foundation Janet Hayes, who lives in Chipping Norton, is now urging other cafes to come forward and sign up to the programme.

She said: “There’s a secondary school in Uganda that provides school meals for all students, but one of our trustees visited and saw some of the poorer students could not afford the meals.

“So every day we pay for 70 of these students’ meals.

“They get a meal of rice and beans, or posho – which is a millet maize dish.

“The school also provides more nutritional meals with meat in for teachers or students with HIV, so they get a better meal.”

With the cafes raising £170.66 last year, Mrs Hayes has set a target to double that this year.

She added: “The amazing thing for me is the reaction I’ve received. I went to talk at an Experience Chipping Norton meeting last year about the project, and this has all come about because of that.

“They’ve been brilliant at supporting me.”

Experience Chipping Norton is a tourism company striving to enhance the image of the town.

The cafes involved so far in the Rafiki scheme are the Old Mill, Delicacy Deli, Express Kebab Pizza and Number 24 cafe.

Owner of Delicacy, Jon Squires, 48, said he got involved because it sounded like a great way to help those in need.

Mr Squires said: “We have a notice at the till so people can pay 35p towards a meal. I just thought it sounded like a great idea to help people in their own country.

“Anything to help, I’m happy to do. I might even be doing a skydive in the summer to raise even more money for them.”

Mrs Hayes is appealing for more cafes, anywhere across the county, to get in touch if they want to be part of the programme. She is particularly interested at cafes offering a ‘Rafiki Sandwich’, which charges an extra 35p to go straight to charity.

* Any cafes across Oxfordshire wishing to sign up to the programme should contact janet@rafiki-foundation.org.uk