!Nara Primary School needs a kitchen

STAFF of the !Nara Primary School at Walvis Bay are appealing to the business community to help them build a proper soup kitchen for the children to be served healthy food at lunch time.

According to the head of department at the school, Ronald Visagie, food for disadvantaged children is currently being prepared every day in a small storeroom which is not suitable for food preparation. The school currently has 1 720 pupils.

“I worry a lot because of the condition of the storeroom. The place is full of bags of maize, and there is little space for the cooks to move around and prepare these meals. We also have tins of fish that have to be stored in there, while utensils need to be washed,” he stated.

The kitchen equipment is washed outside under a tap that is far from the storeroom. But it does not get cleaned properly, as the low tap is also close to the ground. It is especially difficult to wash utensils in the desert’s windy weather.

Visagie said he dreams of being assisted to build a proper kitchen, where food can be stored properly in a ventilated space.

“It would be healthy to have a place where there is at least a big window so that the kitchen staff can breathe easier. We need a place where there are taps, and a drain for the dirty water. This is really a health risk, especially at times when there are a lot of flies,” he said.

Visagie added that he wants to have a small paved area where children can sit and enjoy their meals, instead of sitting on the ground, where dust is blown into the food. The Namibian found children sitting on the ground in groups during lunch time.

“We came to eat here because we do not bring food to school. We get pap and canned fish, or pap and bread every day. The food is nice. But sometimes we also want juice,” said one of the children, Thomas Kangendjo.

“I like the food, but maybe one day we will also have apples or fried fish. Sometimes we get tired of the canned fish every day. But I am thankful because we eat every day,” says Ebenezzer Nicodemus.

The maize meal is provided by the government, while businesses like the Etosha fishing company and the Walvis Bay Community Church provide other items, including tinned fish.

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