Rice for malnourished slum kindergartners

The drastic impact of the global pandemic has further fragilized people already living on the margins of society. Covid-19 has been felt most acutely by those in greatest need. In this time, the Mercy Centre has worked tirelessly to support our community, providing life-sustaining basic nutrition through the Mercy Kitchen’s Rice Project.

The Mercy Kitchen has been open for almost three years in the preschool building. Every day, the kitchen serves lunches in take-home bags so that local children can have a nourishing meal. From the beginning of the project until today, the Mercy Kitchen has provided almost 100,000 meals to local children.

But the impact of the Rice Project goes far beyond just a simple lunch.

Because of the pandemic, many people in the community of Khlong Toei have lost their jobs and can no longer find work to support their families. This makes the Mercy Kitchen a critical resource for the community. The Mercy Kitchen not only serves food, but also allows unemployed people to come and work as cooks, providing jobs where they are most needed.

Miss Pon is one of these cooks. She is a single mom, caring for two children alone since her husband Rat was killed in a car accident four months ago. Pon, aged only 27, does not have any permanent work, but does odd jobs wherever she can find them. Her son Nont, age 13, is in Grade 5 at school, and her youngest son Pong is only 5. Pong is one of our students at the Mercy preschools.

This is an extremely difficult time for their family. Because Pon does work wherever she can find it, hired for odd jobs by neighbors, her income is unstable. But the Mercy Centre exists, there to help. Miss Pon can come to the Mercy Kitchen to work when she can find no other employment, ensuring she can provide for her family, and that every day, she can get food for her children.

The Rice Project helps this family and many others have meals to eat each day, employment, and a stable source of support for basic nutrition. In a community of vulnerable people, living daily with extreme poverty, the impact of this project is incredible.

Thanks to GlobalGiving, and thanks to the donors who support the Rice Project, on behalf of Pon, Nont, Pong, and the many people like them who are helped daily by your generosity.