Kitchen Project

The Gwangwa CDSS Kitchen Project is in full swing! I’ve been meeting with a group of PTA members, teachers and chiefs from my area in order to design and plan to build a kitchen at my school. We started a boarding program last term, which has been quite successful. Next year, I’d like to see it expand to a lunch only option, so students if they are able, can pay to have a meal cooked for them at mid-day. Right now we are using a small, roofless, open building as a kitchen. It’s not really very hygienic, could certainly be more efficient with more space and definitely won’t hold up in the rainy season.

I submitted a proposal to Peace Corps Washington to get a space on their website in order to raise donations and money from back home to build the kitchen. The site has been posted today, so you can click below for more information and to donate to the project.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=614-214

The kitchen is going to be an 11 x 6 meter building, divided into three spaces for food/materials storage, food preparation and cooking. The cooking and food preparation area will have a roof, but will have half-open walls that are enclosed by a screen to prevent flies from entering but will allow smoke from the fires to exit. The cooking area will have three large places for very large pots for cooking and space below for firewood. I hope I’m describing it well, but soon enough (hopefully!) the plans will turn into an actual kitchen and I’ll be able to share photos of it online.
Once the money is raised through the Peace Corps website, it will go to my account and I along with the committee will be in charge of purchasing materials and ensuring that the building is constructed in a timely manner according to the budget. Hopefully we can raise the money and build the kitchen before the beginning of next school year.

If you or any group, school, church, organization you know of are interested in helping me raise funds. I’d be happy to share more information about the project, my school and Peace Corps Malawi.