This project provides food and safety to more than 1200 refugees of the 'Kara Tepe' CampUs on the Greek island: Lesvos. Through community kitchens, residents can prepare their own meals and interact with one another. This fosters both a sense of agency and a feeling of community, which are important parts of Movement on the Ground's larger vision for a dignified and inclusive refugee camp.
Residents are in need of kitchens to prepare food. On Lesvos there is hardly any opportunity for them to cook warm and nutritious meals. Instead, they are given water and small, unhealthy snacks, which do not nourish them properly. There is also the wish amongst residents to connect with each other. As many refugees are not allowed to work, they feel bored and frustrated. This leads to conflicts if there is no communal space for residents to exchange experiences.
The community kitchens create a space for proper food preparation and for residents to connect with one another. These kitchens have multiple stoves and are available from 12PM to 9PM, so that all residents can cook their daily meals. And because they are cooking together, the residents can tell each other about their experiences. Sharing food and stories is an important part of creating a positive culture, especially in a community that has so many different nationalities like our CampUs.
The community kitchens will meet long term needs to improve cooking and to eat healthy on the Kara Tepe CampUs. They will give residents the ownership and independence to provide for themselves, their families and their neighbours. Connecting through cooking will create bonds which will support community building activities in the future.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
