On Friday, 15 May 2026, faith leaders, humanitarian partners, Rotary International representatives, municipal and provincial dignitaries, community leaders and international guests gathered at the former home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Soweto, Johannesburg, to celebrate the continued expansion of the Desmond Tutu Programme to End Global Hunger. The programme is a global humanitarian and climate-smart agribusiness initiative founded and stewarded by FreshMinistries, a Jubilee Ministry of The Episcopal Church.
The gathering marked a significant milestone in the continuing development of the Soweto property as the FreshMinistries Global Headquarters for the Programme. The site is being developed as a centre for humanitarian outreach, climate-smart agribusiness, education, sustainable community development and faith-based partnership.
Among those participating in the celebration was the Rt Revd Oupakie Sepadi Moruthane (Bishop of Johannesburg), who addressed those gathered and affirmed the importance of faith communities engaging directly in sustainable development, food security, economic empowerment and human dignity initiatives throughout Africa and the wider world.
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Speaking at the celebration, Bishop Sepadi said: 'To Archbishop Desmond Tutu, hunger and poverty were a result of injustice and capitalism. If he was still alive, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will approve the partnership between the Anglican Church and FreshMinistries... Desmond Tutu taught us that we cannot separate the Gospel from the daily lives of people' and that 'the church plays a significant place in the lives of the people.
'...Through the partnership between Rotary Foundation, FreshMinistries and the Diocese of Johannesburg, more families will now have food to eat'. Bishop Sepadi affirmed that as a Diocese, 'we are ready for more partnerships so that we can do more to eradicate poverty and hunger in the World, starting here in Johannesburg'.
Yinka Babalola, the incoming President of Rotary International, also spoke and presented FreshMinistries with a global grant of $95,000 in support of the initiative. Leaders from the City of Johannesburg and provincial leadership structures were also present in recognition of the significance of the initiative and its growing international impact.
About the Desmond Tutu Programme to End Global Hunger
Founded more than three decades ago by the Revd Dr Robert Vernon Lee III, FreshMinistries has spent years developing innovative climate-smart agricultural systems designed to create sustainable local food production, agribusiness development, workforce training and long-term economic opportunity in marginalised communities.
The programme partners with One World Fresh to develop climate-smart agricultural systems, including aquaponics greenhouses, renewable energy, water conservation, workforce training and community-based economic models. This helps communities move from dependency toward self-sustainability.
FreshMinistries' longstanding relationship with the worldwide Anglican Communion has played a central role in the global vision of the initiative. Nearly 300 Anglican bishops and archbishops around the world have expressed support for exploring the use of church-owned properties and institutional networks as centres for community-based agribusiness development and humanitarian outreach.
FreshMinistries' connection to the Anglican Communion
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a former South African Anglican bishop and human rights activist globally renowned for his fight against apartheid, personally endorsed the initiative after learning of its broad humanitarian goals, including hunger alleviation, gender equality, education, economic development and climate-smart sustainability. His support helped inspire the formal establishment of the Desmond Tutu Programme to End Global Hunger as a growing international platform for faith-based humanitarian engagement.
Today, the programme continues to expand through partnerships involving governments, universities, faith communities, humanitarian organisations, and development partners across multiple continents.
The Soweto headquarters site will serve not only as a tribute to Archbishop Tutu's enduring legacy of justice, reconciliation and human dignity, but also as a living demonstration centre for sustainable development, community empowerment and faith-based humanitarian innovation.
FreshMinistries is currently engaged in expanding partnerships with Anglican, Episcopal, ecumenical, governmental and educational institutions globally, including ongoing relationships with Georgetown University and Anglican leaders throughout Africa and the broader Communion.
In addition to humanitarian development work, the initiative is exploring innovative ESG-aligned financing partnerships intended to support the future deployment of thousands of climate-smart growing facilities worldwide, with local communities participating directly in economic opportunity and shared prosperity.
'Archbishop Tutu believed deeply in human dignity, reconciliation, justice and hope,' said the Revd Dr Robert Vernon Lee III, (Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FreshMinistries). 'This programme seeks to honour that legacy not simply with words, but by creating sustainable systems capable of transforming communities through food security, education, opportunity, environmental stewardship and human empowerment.'
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Speaking to Anglican News about what is next for the programme, Revd Dr Robert shared that 'in July I will be meeting with senior leaders at Lambeth Palace to discuss the global rollout of the programme throughout the Anglican Communion. Days later, we are also scheduled to meet with senior Vatican officials to explore their participation in this growing international partnership.
'These conversations have the potential to become historically significant, marking the beginning of a long-term global collaboration focused on the humanitarian and development goals embodied in Archbishop Tutu's vision and the broader mission of ending global hunger.'
About FreshMinistries
FreshMinistries, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is an international humanitarian organisation and a recognised Jubilee Ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more than 31 years, the organisation has worked globally in areas including community development, economic empowerment, agribusiness development, education, climate-smart sustainability and humanitarian outreach.
Find out more about the mission of the Desmond Tutu Programme to End Global Hunger.
Find out more about Fresh Ministries, a Jubilee Ministry of The Episcopal Church.
See an article on the Episcopal Church News Service website.
