PURE! volunteer and supporting children

Lunch program

In the beginning of 2010, PURE! conducted research on the living conditions of the community members in Kandek. The results show that this community suffers from serious food shortages. Especially children eat only two small meals a day which are hardly varied and often consists of rice with a little salt. These minimal amounts of simple food result in many children who are underweight or too small for their age.  

Almost immediately after the opening of the PURE! Dream Centre it appeared that most children were facing concentration problems which limits them in their development. Recent medical research has shown that only 2% of all children at the PDC have a healthy weight. All other children are too light; 32% of these children are severely underweight and another 19,5% is so far below the desired weight that it has serious implications for their health.

In order to deal with this problem, PURE! will start with a lunch program which offers the children five days a week a nutritious and varied meal.

The 60 children who go to our centre are divided into a morning and an afternoon group. PURE! would like to offer all children from Monday till Friday a healthy and nutritious lunch during their break, between 11.00 and 13.00 o’clock. To be able to realize this program, a kitchen is build at the PDC.

The local people of the Kandek community are involved in this program in various ways. Fathers from the children of the PDC help with the construction of the kitchen, and also small construction companies from the community benefit. The mother of one of the students from the PDC will be responsible for the preparation of all the meals. This woman is currently at home, unemployed and with a handicapped child. A job as a cook at the PDC enables her to keep taking care of her children, because she can provide her own income!