Lunch at Little Lilies: as staff fill the plates, the day’s helpers are eager to start delivering lunch to their classmates.
FOOD
Thanks to Hilda Isaac, Managing Director of the preschools, for this update.
Food at the preschools is more than nourishment, it is a unifying symbol.
Indian caste hierarchy is burdened with rules about food: who can cook, who can serve, who can eat with whom, what you eat and where you eat. Food is dividing factor between various religions and castes.
At the preschools, eating is an act unification. Every child and staff member, from high to low caste, sits in the same place and enjoys the same food. There is no separate food for the teachers, who eat what our children eat. The scene at lunch is a sight to behold.
In many student’s homes there is a shortage of food. Knowing it is an abundance at school takes away the stress around food, but kids focus on eating, not socializing, during meals. Here, a special meal on Republic Day is served on traditional banana leaves.
We plan our menu for a balanced diet. Food is prepared keeping in mind locally available vegetables and grains. What our farm doesn’t produce is bought at local markets to support the local community. We also feed elder people who can’t work anymore.
Sunday Food: Usually, children were very tired on Mondays after the weekend. In some families there was no food. We started Sunday Food, sending children home with food on Saturdays. After implementing Sunday Food, children are ready to learn on Monday morning.
Guests at the preschools are served lunch, too. They’ll gladly tell you that the food there is the best food they’ve eaten in India. But most don’t turn down a spoon.
A child with an empty stomach can’t learn so our first task in the morning is to fill the stomach. The government just started free breakfast for children in public schools. We have been serving breakfast since our first preschool opened.
In the morning our children relish tasty porridges. Our farm’s vegetables and grains play a major role in the schools’ food supply.
Tapioca, a tuber plant grown on the farm, arrives at the schools freshly harvested. The school cooks transform it into a porridge the children love.
All children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow and to pursue their dreams, because, in the end, nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children.
–Michelle Obama
Money Talk
The preschools exist thanks to HKI donors. All gifts, large or small, are welcome.
If you’re not donating yet, please do! If you a donor, please consider becoming a monthly donor.
The schools need our support to feed the children’s bodies, minds, and spirits.
This is aid with impact, locally driven, locally delivered.
Give where all your gift works for the good.
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–Nathaniel Hawtorne