Kitchen and dining hall

When the school opened at the end of 2010, there was no kitchen on the school grounds. Cooking just happened outside on an open fire. In bad weather conditions, just think of the rainy season, it became difficult to continue cooking in this way.

Soon more children came to school and the need arose to have a separate room where the cooking utensils could be stored. This was solved by the construction of a kitchen that is still used, although it is debatable whether the building is worthy of the name kitchen. The current construction consists of a few wooden planks and a simple sheet roof. Because cooking is done inside on a wood fire, the planks are attached in such a way that they do not connect nicely and the smoke can easily escape. However, this ensures that dirt can blow into the kitchen.

Due to the countless holes and the lack of doors, the chickens, cats and dogs have free access to the kitchen. In terms of hygiene, the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired. They do try to keep all animals out of the cooking area, but of course there is no constant supervision. And who likes a goat to snack on his midday meal?

In 2015 we ensured that electricity was provided in the kitchen. This allowed a small refrigerator to be installed to protect certain foods from the heat and the animals. Lighting was also installed to make cooking easier in the early morning and late evenings. However, this lighting ensures a constant presence of insects when it is dark.

At the beginning of 2016, the boarding house opened at our school. As a result, children are constantly staying there and cooking has to be done for many more people in the morning and evening. This is becoming more and more an enormous task in a small space. Storage space is also no longer sufficient and does not meet hygiene standards.

To improve the quality of the food and to keep the work doable for our cooks, we decided to build a decent kitchen. This would be an enclosed space on the side of the domain instead of in the middle of the playground, equipped with electricity and a sink. In addition, there will also be sufficient cupboards and shelves to store all the material that belongs to a kitchen. The wood fires come under a roof so that they can also be used in bad weather.

In addition to a kitchen, there was also a need for a refectory so that the children no longer had to eat in the classrooms or spread across the entire domain. On the one hand, we prevent food residues from being left behind everywhere, which the animals are only too happy to come to, and on the other hand, the children then have a pleasant and hygienic place to eat their meal.

We were able to start construction in September 2017. The building was completed at the end of March 2018. The total cost of this project amounted to just under 19,000 euros. A good and wise investment in necessary hygiene and in the further development of the school and boarding school.