Citizens to the rescue

By Addis Mulugeta

Ethiopia is one of the world’s most ancient great civilizations and a country of different nations and nationalities. The number of children in the country increases from time to time there are children who live with HIV/AIDS. To solve this critical problem a number of local, international NGOs and volunteers have invested time, energy and money to address the problem.
To contribute as a citizen of humanity, one of the volunteers who is using his time effectively is Yasser Bagersh, known in Addis Ababa as the publisher of the famous lifestyle publication, What’s Up!, owner of Serenade and the Lime Tree restaurants, not to mention running one of the leading advertising agencies in the country, Cactus Communication. Yasser is now doing something unique and moving. Capital met Mr. Bagersh to discuss Our Father’s Kitchen, which is a programme working under the umbrella of H.A.P.C.S.O.
The major objective of Our Father’s Kitchen is identifying vulnerable and destitute children, help improve their health, and allow these kids to go to school and hopefully, someday live a normal life. Some of these children live under rough and depressed conditions: for example, a 3 year old boy living with HIV/AIDS is now living with a family of five under a plastic shelter. A young girl raped at 11, contracted AIDS and is living with her mother, also in a plastic shelter with full access to anti-viral medication but no food to take the medicine with. A 9 year old boy is very ill living with his mother who is dying, both getting weaker and weaker by the day. One meal a day can entirely change these people’s lives. And these citizens represent the 80 dignified people Our Father’s Kitchen feeds daily.
“Actually the feeding programme is sort of an extension of my restaurants. At Serenade Restaurant and the Lime Tree, we charge people every time we serve our guests food and the rewards are financial in the form of profits. Our Father’s Kitchen also serves food. However, the guests do not pay for their food and our rewards are much greater – but not in the form of profits or cash!” Yasser says and adds the initiative for the launching of this feeding program has been from his wife Menal al-Minhali and he has been talking about this for several years. They started a similar initiative some time ago feeding the hungry once a week. The program developed and he met with a special friend working at FHI (Family Health International) to get some advice. He was introduced to the incredible Sister Tibebe and her outstanding NGO, H.A.P.C.S.O and linked to Beza Le Wegen and Wegen Aden Ethiopia.
“I was moved by the work that these organizations do. I organized a team composed of key staff and friends to visit these organizations and the people they serve and we were all shocked. I realized that my life was not the same anymore. I had to do something about it and it had to be done instantly. The more we wait the more we are risking the lives of young children. This month marks the first anniversary of Our Father’s Kitchen”, Yasser says.
Our Father’s Kitchen does not select children based on religion, gender or ethnicity. These children are selected by H.A.P.C.S.O, Beza Le Wegen and Wegen Aden Ethiopia with priority given to orphans and children who are ill. Once selected these kids are fed seven days a week, 365 days a year at Beza Le Wegen, Wegen Aden Ethiopia and the kids who are too ill get a meal lovingly delivered to their homes. There are a few adults in their programme who are terminally ill. These people get their food delivered to their homes as well.
Currently, the food is being picked up from the Lime Tree and delivered to the children by dedicated volunteers. The long term plans for Our Father’s Kitchen will be to build a community kitchen at Beza Le Wegen to ensure freshness, easy access and expansion to 120 children by September 1, 2008, a second community kitchen in another area will be built after that. Rent must be free and close to their target group. As for educational opportunities, most of the kids in their programme are now healthy enough to go to school. “The last time we went to visit some of the kids in their homes we couldn’t find them because they were at school. That brought us incredible happiness”.
Currently Yasser is funding the program and has now received some funds from a few anonymous friends who believe in project. “Last week, we launched a pledge campaign for Our Father’s Kitchen. Now, anyone who wants to participate in Our Father’s Kitchen can pledge to feed a child or two for a month or a year or as long as one desires. It only costs 217.20 birr to feed one child daily for a full month. It doesn’t help that food costs have gone up drastically in the last year making it very difficult for us to expand the programme quickly. However, with the pledging system, we will be able to diversify the financial support so it is not entirely dependent on a single source and allow us to expand the programme to give more children a chance to live healthy lives to help jump start the next phase of Our Father’s Kitchen. UNFPA generously made a donation to assist us. And I thank Dr. Monique Rakotomalala and her organization for being among the first to believe in this programme”
He commends and leaves a message for all the people who are doing great things in their community and encourage them to continue doing what they are doing. And for those who may feel that they are not doing enough or do not know how to start, he urges them to find a calling in life as soon as possible and get on with it quickly. He is sharing the story of Our Father’s Kitchen to encourage as many people as possible to so it can make a substantial difference in the community…to give a young child a chance to live, a chance to make a family, a chance to struggle in life, to laugh and cry, to dream…and perhaps that dream may come true. And this journey can begin by giving a child a meal.
It is very compelling and sobering. He has kept this quiet to himself for an entire year. However, he found that keeping this a secret is not helping the programme in any way, it is actually suffocating it. “When I saw how serious the situation was and how many lives are being saved before our eyes, I realized that it was reckless to not scream and shout and go public! I realized I would be selfish if I didn’t lend my name and face to this project and help expand it. I am learning everyday and I hope many more people can participate and learn with me”, Yasser says. Until the website goes up, feel free to write to them at ourfatherskitchen@yahoo.com or fill out a pledge form to feed a child at the Lime Tree.