Kitchen
Our school needed a new kitchen. The conditions under which our cook prepared meals for the children were no longer acceptable. She had to cook on the floor of a 4m² metal shed for 60 children. She used fire for cooking, which caused excessive smoke, and without an exhaust fan, the air was barely breathable. Last year, our board member Katharina took on the "School Kitchen" project. She will describe its development from her perspective further below. We started building the kitchen this February. It is now almost complete and is expected to be operational in the coming weeks. The new kitchen is significantly larger, measuring 3.5 x 7 meters with an equally sized covered terrace. It features a large working area with granite countertops, a handwashing sink, two dishwashing sinks, and a water treatment system. The most significant upgrade is the switch from fire to electricity, which is not entirely straightforward because cooking requires a lot of electricity. Since our solar system currently does not provide enough power for regular kitchen operations, we had to find an alternative solution. We will heat water with kettles and use two induction plates to maintain the temperature. This setup should allow us to prepare meals for our students. In the long term, we plan to expand the solar system to provide sufficient power for the kitchen. However, this requires a larger investment. The kitchen will not only serve as the center for meal preparation but also for drinking water. We have installed four drinking taps on the outside wall where the children can fill their cups with water. With the construction of the kitchen, we have also worked on improving our water quality. Previously, rainwater was filtered through a sand and sediment filter, then treated with chlorine, and used as drinking water. We sought an alternative solution, as chlorinated water is not very palatable and not the best option. Together with our water partner, Davis & Shirtliff, we opted for a UV filter system. The rainwater from the tank is directed to the kitchen, where it is again filtered through a sand and sediment filter and finally disinfected with a UV lamp. This method allows us to produce drinking water comparable in quality to Swiss water. This is another significant step for our school and crucial for the health of our children. The wastewater from the kitchen flows through four tanks with various natural filters and is then treated for reuse. The water is clean enough to be used for washing dishes, which significantly reduces our water consumption.
The realization from Katharina's perspective:
When I first visited our school project in Kenya in October 2021, I truly realized how much we had achieved over the past two years, particularly what my son Joshua had accomplished and built. During my initial tour, I was quite taken aback when I saw a small metal shed at the edge of the property. I was curious and wanted to take a closer look. What could be inside this tiny structure? Perhaps a chicken coop? No, inside, a woman was preparing food for the school children on a fire pit. I was very surprised and thought that something needed to change. I decided to start my own project and plan a new school kitchen. I had many ideas swirling in my head about how to design it. I quickly realized that it wasn’t as simple as I initially thought. Ideas must first be turned into realistic plans before they can be implemented. I considered how best to present and, most importantly, fund the project. I came up with the idea of creating a calendar featuring the school. I decorated it with pictures of the children and included 12 African recipes in the large A3 calendar to tie it to the kitchen theme. The proceeds from the calendar sales were intended to fund the new kitchen. My goal was to raise CHF 5,000 in donations by the end of January 2022. Thanks to the calendar campaign, we managed to raise CHF 5,000 within a month and a half. However, the total cost was around CHF 13,000, so we needed additional donations to complete the entire project.
The second step was to design the building for the school kitchen. However, drawing has never been my strong suit. Using an online house planning software, I was able to design the building. The kitchen was to be 3.5 x 7 meters in size and include three windows and a food serving area. In February, we were able to begin construction. The workers excavated the ground with shovels. It was impressive to see such labor being done by hand in that heat. Brick by brick, the walls were built, and within three weeks, the entire structure was up. Next, we proceeded with the construction of the roof and the installation of the water and electrical connections.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone for the tremendous support. Thanks to you, our cook can now prepare meals for the children under healthy conditions.
Pamoja ni nguvu – together we are strong!
FINANCES
In the following table, you can see the expenses for the kitchen. Not all costs are listed yet, as some items are still pending. Overall, the total cost will amount to approximately CHF 13,000.
| Construction work | Expenses |
|---|---|
| Foundation | CHF 3’385.62 |
| Roof | CHF 1’614.79 |
| Underlayment | CHF 1’733.79 |
| Paving and terrace railing | CHF 728.00 |
| Kitchen countertop and covering | CHF 1’180.65 |
| Electrical installation and wiring | CHF 467.02 |
| Dishwashing sink | CHF 371.17 |
| Plumbing work | CHF 174.62 |
| Doors, windows, and window bars | CHF 901.60 |
| Water recycling system | CHF 160.50 |
| Kitchen cabinets | CHF 634.98 |
| Stone floor Galana | CHF 387.33 |
| Induction cooktop | CHF 69.08 |
| Total | CHF 11’809.15 |
Before – After
