Homemade food for all children at school? The Wisdom Foundation for Children gives a positive answer, through the innovative program it has created "I cook and offer". In the first phase, the project is implemented in the DG All-Day Municipal Savior. In the near future it is expected to be extended to the All-Day of Giolos and later to six other Primary Schools where the institution of the afternoon school operates.
The basic philosophy of the action is to provide lunch to all students of the school, without discrimination and targeting. Necessary materials, the creation of the necessary infrastructure and in particular the construction and equipment of a professional kitchen and the voluntary participation of the community, various companies and other bodies. Of course, in order for the recipe to tie, it takes a lot of work and passion.
However, in DG Dimotiko Sotiras they have succeeded with the above. The program was launched last September and since then has been operating with complete success, offering "mom food" to 118 students a day.
The specific school was selected after a suggestion by the director of Primary Education and there, the Sofia Foundation built and equipped a kitchen which cost € 14.000. Unemployed mothers from the area, whose children attend school, work there voluntarily. In this way parents are relieved of the financial cost of lunch, while at the same time offering cooking to their children. It is noteworthy that Sophia secured almost all the food for a whole year. Such a thing, however, would not have been possible without the touching offer of all the supporters of the foundation but also of the big sponsors, the food companies.
Key features of the program are:
- An unemployed mother is hired, a cook with a degree in the profession, who takes over as head of the kitchen and for which the Foundation pays 800 euros for its services.
- Volunteer assistants receive the token allowance of 15 euros per day, in order to ensure their basic needs and expenses.
- The families of the community who can afford it, pay the amount of 15 euros per month for each child. In this way they contribute to the operation of the program and help the needy children of their school in practice.
- The construction and equipment of the kitchen are a permanent infrastructure for the school and the community. This means that even when the reasons for which they are created disappear or in the event that financial assistance will not be provided, the kitchen remains at the disposal of the parents to operate it independently.
In statements to "F", the director of the Municipal Savior, Tassoula Peratikou, said that the program has helped families a lot. As he said, last year they were forced to pay around € 45 per month for the food of each child, which was supplied by a catering company. This year they give only € 15. At the same time, he continued, a mother was hired who cooks for the students, while some others help on a voluntary basis. Ms. Peratikou added that the program brought parents closer to school and at the same time relieved several families financially.
The newspaper "FILELEFTHEROS" is a warm supporter
Why did the Liberal news organization decide to support the "I cook and I offer" initiative? On behalf of "F", the organizer of the event "The bow of hope", Myrna Pattihi, explains that this is a serious effort to strengthen the institution of the All-Day School and provide assistance to families who are not able to offer their children or even the obvious, such as lunch.
Ms. Pattihi emphasizes, therefore, that there are many reasons why Phileleftheros wanted to contribute to the whole effort. Because, as he said: 1) The program discharges parents from a significant monthly cost. 2) It enables unemployed mothers in the area to work and be active, cooking for their own children. 3) Students eat healthily. 4) Ensures that these children will grow properly, without missing the main meal. 5) Promotes solidarity and cooperation, without discrimination and away from stigma.
"Not only do we support the program, but because it just happened and succeeded, we hope to see it expand," he said. In this context, he called on the Ministry of Education, Health Services and the Fire Service to speed up the procedures for issuing the relevant permits, so that other Primary Schools can have their own kitchen. "Any delay is to the detriment of our children," Ms. Pattihi concluded.
Delay, equal food deprivation
The first issue that arises is to find sufficient resources so that the program can not only be implemented, but also maintained for an entire year. The financial, then, one of the most important issues, to create the kitchen and find the food. It is estimated that on average, the construction and equipment of a kitchen costs around € 20.000. Therefore, any contribution is welcome.
The second big problem concerns the procedures required to secure the necessary permits so that the kitchen can be set up and the program can start operating. Because even when the money is found, the bureaucracy remains. Permits are required from the Health Services and the Fire Department. The question is whether the Ministry of Education, which gave the relevant approval for the implementation of the project, could, through the Technical Services, take on a coordinating role to avoid unnecessary delays. After all, this is an emergency issue that concerns the feeding of minor children and all that is required is cooperation and speeding up the procedures. Because in this case, any delay entails food deprivation for some children.
From Kenya to Cyprus
Until recently, the Wisdom for Children Foundation, a Cypriot non-profit organization, operated exclusively in Kenya offering education, food and medical care to African children. Since last summer, however, he has implemented a new initiative, this time in Cyprus, "in our place, in our home", as the President of the Foundation, Marina Siakola, characteristically states.
How the idea was born
"Because of the crisis, we could not help but see our own children," Ms. Siakola told "F" and explained that "We decided to work where we have the most experience and strength: in schools, with one and only goal, to have food for children living in vulnerable areas ". He emphasizes that the experience in Kenya taught the volunteers of the Wisdom Foundation for Children how to organize a kitchen, even in the most difficult conditions, in the depths of the jungle, in schools that have only the basics, with 800 children. "So we thought, since we could in Africa, we would do it in our place, in our home."
Directly and without intermediaries
So the Foundation contacted the Ministry of Education, received the required permission and decided to act immediately. He contacted the school selected to implement the program, directly and without intermediaries. "We have turned a space that was suggested to us into a kitchen, we have involved the mothers, we have found sponsors", says Ms. Siakola, adding that "in times of emergency, we must all act more flexibly and practically".
An infrastructure project
One of the key features of the "I cook and I offer" initiative is that all children receive the same treatment. There is no discrimination, you do not distinguish whether a child comes from a wealthy family or not. As for the benefits? Ms. Siakola points out that in addition to the obvious, that is, the offer of lunch to students, which is necessary for their health and development, there are some others. Now, in Sotira Primary School, an infrastructure project has been created which helps the school to become autonomous. Secondly, the whole effort has involved the whole local community with all the positive consequences.
During the implementation of this pioneering project, the well-known singer Sakis Rouvas participated in an event at the Sotiras Primary School in support of the institution.
We cook for our children
Mark Sunday is the "soul" of the kitchen of the Primary Savior, as she cooks daily not only for her own children, but also for the 118 students of the school. "They approached us last year from the Sofia Foundation," he recalls, "and suggested that we implement the program." Kyriaki explains that "from the first moment we thought it was a good idea to cook for our children ourselves". He continues: "We all worked together, parents, management and teaching staff. We ran all summer because it takes work to set up a professional kitchen. "
She admits that there are several parents living in the area who are unemployed. Last year, he says, they had to pay € 45 a month for each child to eat all day. This year the cost was reduced to € 15, while as he points out, families who do not have the financial comfort, do not pay the relevant amount.
What does he cook for the students? Everything she would cook for her children at home: Baked spaghetti, burgers, cups, legumes, soups, zucchini.
It seems, in fact, that the kitchen never closes. Shortly after lunch, a snack is offered to the children, while now at Christmas, sweets and cookies are prepared which are sold in bazaars in order to raise money for needy families. "One mom bought us the deep dishes, another who is a volunteer does not get the € 15 a day she is entitled to, but gives them to support the students", stresses Sunday. "Everyone offers and as we have seen all these months, the joy is greater when you give."
Offer day from Debenhams
The Debenhams department stores in the context of the support of the children of Cyprus and the program "Cook and Offer" of the Sofia Foundation organized on Sunday, a day of offer. With each purchase from the children's clothing department, part of the proceeds were donated to the Sofia Foundation for Children and for the needs of "I cook and offer". This pioneering program is already being implemented in the DG All-Day Municipal Savior where Sofia built and equipped a kitchen, which cost 14.000 euros. It employs a group of unemployed mothers in the area where they cook for their children. The specific program will be implemented in parallel in Paphos and in the All-Day Primary School of Giolou. In this way the parents are relieved of the financial cost of lunch, the unemployed women are active and all the children, without discrimination, have a well-cooked food.
charity event
More than two hundred personalities from Cyprus and Greece join forces and embrace the event "The bow of hope". An effort of the publishing organization "O Phileleftheros" which aims to support the program "I cook and offer" in Primary Schools, of the Foundation "Wisdom for Children". The event will take place next Saturday, December 21, at Omikron Gallery (Vassileos Pavlou 2, Nicosia) and will last from 10 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon. As part of this great celebration of love, 230 pashminas will be auctioned.
Source: FILELEFTHEROS