In a rural community in Swaziland there is a small primary school dedicated to the education and care of the community’s children. The school provides meals for the children, and these meals are often the only food the children receive each day.

The cooks at the primary school work in an unhealthy and dilapidated kitchen. It is constructed of old mud, bricks and a corrugated tin roof. The structure is poorly ventilated and falling apart. The area receives strong wind, and torrential rains that threaten to wipe out the structure every season. The food is cooked over a fire in large pots which result in no ventilation, clean air, or hygienic work space. In the kitchen the food sits on unsanitary surfaces with rickety doors because there is no storage space.

In place of the unsuitable kitchens it is proposed that a new facility be constructed that will serve the community and the school. It will be large enough to accommodate a cooking area, space for food, storage and the supplies that the structure once held. The kitchen will be soundly built, able to withstand harsh rain and extreme wind. It will be a healthy, reliable place for children to get two or more meals a day. Once built, the kitchen will be maintained, kept clean and supplied by the community, children and the cooks. It is a project the neighborhood is fully supporting with all measures being taken to efficiently complete the structure.

Note: This summary was provided by a Peace Corps Volunteer and the community administering this project.