British High Commission lets milk flow for Tembari children

Kids wait in line while a volunteer prepares to serve them milk during last Saturday's special lunch at The Center.

Siblings Shaun (left), Rose and Melanie Hale enjoy their milk. Milk supply is being provided by the British High Commission and a generous benefactor at RH Group.

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend Of Tembari Children

THE fundraising fun-run recently staged by friends of the British High Commission in Port Moresby is now directly benefiting the children at the Center.

From the funds raised, the High Comm will provide the 83 kids a weekly supply of fresh milk.

So, starting on Monday, June 7, our kids will begin drinking milk to supplement what they had at lunch from Monday to Friday.

Completing the weekly milk cycle is the Saturday milk drinking, which is sponsored by a generous benefactor from RH Group and his generosity will go on for as long as necessary.

Also our good friend at RH, alongside with another generous expatriate donor identified only through his initials “AP”, have been providing the Center with a generous amount of rice, which enables the kids to enjoy rice at lunch – from Monday to Saturday.

Suzanne Laister, the assistant to the High Commissioner, told me that their milk sponsorship will last for six months.

The British High Com has responded to my appeal for a regular supply of milk for our children-beneficiaries in my blog at www.tembari.blogspot.com.

In that blog, I stressed what has long been known to many – that milk helps a lot in improving nutrition, it being a complete food, badly needed by the body.

With milk everyday alongside a daily meal of rice and protein-source like tinned fish or meat, our kids are gradually gaining better nutrition for their frail bodies.

From 2003 until sometime ago, the Center could only afford to serve the Tembari children with a meal of kaukaw, boiled greens and buttered sliced bread four times a week – that is Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

This was because the Center had very little funds which barely met the food requirements of its wards. That’s why it could only provide lunch four times a week. In between those days, we did not have any idea what they ate at home.

These days, the Center is a lot better off, thanks to our benefactors who believe in what we do for these unfortunate kids.

So to our generous milk donors: Thank you very much! We could not thank you enough.

Email me: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
Jarahdz500@online.net.pg