By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend Of Tembari Children
THE CHILDREN’S daily consumption of cordial drink has become a big drain in our modest petty cash fund after it assumed a major part of their diet.
And since the 97 kids are fed twice a day, a glass or two of cordial drinks for each of them has become a must in every meal.
They consume at least two liters each feeding session – noontime snacks for the preschoolers after their morning classes, and early dinner, which is served at 4-5pm, before they go home to their guardians for the night.
We do the afternoon feeding to see to it that the kids have a full stomach before they retire for the night. We know that at home, there’s no food to expect.
As for the kids attending our preschool classes at The Center, they would not be able to finish their noontime snack of biscuits unless it is washed down with cordial.
And for the main meal – early dinner – cordial is also a must drink.
So everyday, they consume a total of four liters and there’s no way to skip this.
But this sweetened product is not taken in its original state – it is mixed into 20 liters of iced water so there would be enough to go around for everybody.
The label of this cordial product says the flavored concentrate in this two-liter container must be mixed into four parts of water.
In short, a two-liter cordial concentrate would produce 10 liters of cooled drink. But this is not the case; we have to produce 20 liters of drink so that everybody could have his/her drink. In its much-diluted state, the cordial would taste flat. But the kids do not notice this. To them, it is still a drink as long as it is sweet.
The current price of cordial products ranges from K8.95 to K9.95, depending on the store from where you’re buying it.
The cost everyday therefore, is at least K19 for two two-liter bottle of the cheaper brand, for a total of K114 a week, or K456 a month.
Indeed, it is big money to spend every month for struggling day care-orphanage facility like ours and this eats into our modest grants that we received every month from two donors.
A concerned friend suggested that I approach Pacific Industries regarding our cordial drink problem, which I did.
Emailing Paul Chue, the big boss at Pacific Industries, I related to him our growing difficulties of sustaining the cordial drink needs of our beneficiary children.
I requested for a sustainable supply of their cordial product Gold Spot as his company’s donation to Tembari Children’s Care beneficiary-children.
Mr Chue immediately passed on my request to his general manager, Cary Warren, who, in his email, had invited me to see him regarding their cordial drink donation.
As Pacific Industries’ assistance to the Tembari children, the company has pledged four cartons of two-liter cordials every month, along with other products that the company produces or carries, such as noodles, powder milk and cookies which they import and distributes in the domestic market.
And once the company’s purified water plant is completed, it would also supply us with drinking water for the kids.
Since the Gold Spot donation would only cover 12 feeding days – Monday to Saturday – we would have to fill the rest of the month with one that we buy ourselves from our petty cash fund and with those that would be donated to The Center on occasion.
As I have said earlier, our weekly expense for cordial drink is putting a lot of pressure on our meager daily operating funds.
It is a good thing that on Wednesday, Coca-Cola Amatil, maker of Gold Crush cordial, came to the rescue by accommodating my request for a donation of its cordial product. In fact, I lodged such request as early as first week of July.
CCA’s donation has been made possible by its national marketing manager Louise Maher, who explained to me that the goodies took time to come as her office had to follow sponsorship processes and layers of internal corporate red tape.
But then, the cordial supplies from the two companies are not an assurance that the 24 feeding days would all be covered, since both are able only to donate a limited quantity.
As in the case of Coca-Cola Amatil, it would only be a one-time delivery as a corporate decision, which may last for a few days, after which we would have to fend off for ourselves again to fill in the gap.
It is for this reason that I am appealing to readers of this blog to help us sustain the cordial drink requirement of our beneficiary children.
Let me know if you think you are able to help us with this one. Call me on 3246-712 or on 323-2605, or cell phone me on 722-31984.
As you would know, this drink makes children enjoy the food better, even if it is only a daily meal of rice, tinned fish and veggies, from Monday to Friday.
And of course with cordial drinks, the more they enjoy their lunch on Saturday which is especially cooked for them, using ingredients and materials paid for by two sponsors who chip in K150 each.
Saturday lunch is always good, I can assure you. I’m the one cooking it, that’s why.
Email the writer: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
jarahdz500@online.net.pg
freddiephernandez@yahoo.com
THE Tembari Children's Care (TCC) Inc is a day care facility at ATS Oro Settlement, 7-Mile, outside of Port Moresby, PNG. To date, it takes care of more than 200 former street children - orphans, abandoned and the unfortunate - by serving them meals twice a day, and providing them early education. Assistance - food and money - is sent by supporters who find merit in the services we provide to these children. At The Center, they are family. For all of these, we need support that is sustainable.
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