Christmas Soup Kitchen

Hello Guys,

The soup kitchen team has not been asleep as this blog might suggest, we have been hard at work working on a special Christmas edition of the Soup Kitchen. This will take place on the 20th of December at another BEUPA location close to where the first 3 events were held. The difference is, this time, we are feeding 150 children aged 5 to 15 years old. Needless to say we are all very excited about this and we can’t wait for it to happen.

It being Christmas and all, we want to give the kids presents and this is where you come in. Any used clothes you would like to donate are welcome. Remember, the age range is 5 – 15 both boys and girls so dresses, skirts, t-shirts, trousers, caps, socks, shoes whatever you can spare would go a long way in helping us help these kids. Call either myself, Darlyne, on 0714059686 or Jose on 0718093453 to pick up your presents or bring them with you anytime from today to the 20th to Akamweesi Hostel, Room E1.

We really hope you guys will turn up on the 20th. 150 kids is a whole lot but we have absolute faith in this being a huge success. Wish us luck!

Soup Kitchen at Blogspot

Check out the other Soup Kitchen blog here.

Soup Kitchen Round 2

The soup kitchen is back. On Saturday, we will meet at Akamweesi Hostel in Room E1 at Midday. Come with any amount of money you can spare or just bring your culinary skills. I really hope I see you guys there.

Soup Kitchen Recap

Like I said before, I didn’t get a chance to go to the soup kitchen but I did get some pics. But first some facts;

• The soup kitchen at a BEUGA (Basic Education for Urban Poor Areas) center where the kids around Katanga go to become literate. The teachers there are volunteers and some of them grew up in Katanga.
• The kids there range from 3 to 11 years of age.
• The classes take place everyday but there is no lunch provided for these kids except for once a day and that meal is a cup of porridge which is why Jose came up with the idea for the soup kitchen.

There were 6 people (Richard, William, Christine, Grace, Phillip, Prim) who volunteered to help Jose and these 7 served more than 70 children the chapatis they had bought and the beans they had prepared themselves for lunch.

Here are the pictures.

 

Here you can see the volunteers after they have already prepared the food and are serving it. Richard, who has his own post up, says the food tasted pretty good.

They bought 200 chapatis and by the end of the lunch not even a morsel was left. Richard took these pictures on his phone, by the way, if the quality is not up to par although I really love this last one.

Again, you can reach Jose on 0782430333 for any questions or to provide any assistance.

Check out Richard’s post for a different take on the day.

More on the Soup Kitchen

The soup kitchen is on today. Jose says all the volunteers are meeting at Akamweesi at 12.00pm in Room E1. If you’re late, you still need to head to Room E1 where there will be someone to show you where the soup kitchen is. Pass by even if it’s just to see what’s going on.

 

Some of you had a few questions and here are the answers. The funding is made through fundraising, Jose and his friends and hopefully some of you good people out there contribute the money we use to buy either the chapatis or flour to make the chapatis and the beans which the volunteers cook.

 

Jose’s number is 0782430333. Give him a call to support the soup kitchen or simply to get directions.

 

There will be pictures up here next week documenting how the first day went.

 

I am so bummed that I can’t make it there. I, as usual, am at work so do show up and rep the blogosphere. Let’s make a difference.

Blog Action Day post

I was wondering what to write as my post for blog action day. The issue of poverty is such a wide one that I don’t know where to start.

 

I will start by saying that I don’t actually know any poor people. I don’t mean broke people but people who live on less than the 1$ a day that is apparently the threshold of poverty.

 

I have said on occassion that I am poor but I am not poor, not by a long shot. I live with my Mom so I don’t pay rent, I have a pretty good job that I enjoy doing that pays me enough to live on, buy groceries for my home and pay the occassional utility bill. I have acces to internet 24/7 either at work or at home or even on the move using my phone. I go out to eat with my friends and only on Saturday I cooked lunch for a bunch of them.

 

The question is, how does poverty affect me? On a global scale or even just in my neighbourhood.

 

I don’t know. What I do know is I can empathise with the world’s poor simply because I have been hungry before. Each of you has ever been really hungry with nothing to eat, so hungry all you can do is sleep. Now imagine having that hunger loom over you for your whole life.

 

That is why I am going to volunteer at a ‘soup kitchen.’ A friend of a friend is starting one in Katanga and the first serving is on Saturday from 12.00 (mid day) to 3.00pm. His name is Jose and we will be serving ‘Kikomando’ which for DeT’s sake is chapati and beans.

 

Do come down and join us. I will post more details tomorrow.