A Friend of Tembari Children
THE good news is that there were six people who donated food to the Tembari children last week.
We will refer to them by their first names: Vinns (Malaysian), Manas (Indian), Mussi (Malaysian), Albert (Filipino), Thomas (Asian) and Ilma (PNG-Australian).
And their food assistance went into the cooking of a special lunch for the children last Saturday.
For instance, Vinns, whose family operates a kai-kai (fast-food) shop at Erima (at a shopping compound behind J Mart), cooked the day’s main treat which included rice, beef stew, lamb stew, veggies, breaded chicken wings and rice.
Manas’ contribution consisted of ingredients for a curry potato-beef stew recipe that I cooked at The Center. It also came with a bag of rice and 15-liter chocolate ice cream that proved to be a big hit among our kids.
Albert’s treat was in the form of a special soup – potato soup – cooked in 30-liter pot. This dish took me more than an hour to cook as it took so long to boil.
Mussi sent in rice in a 20kg bag, thus boosting our food stock for the next several days.
Ilma sent four containers of purified water processed by her company, The Water Company. As soon as cool drinking water was set up, the children immediately fell in line, showing the big thirst they had that day.
Thomas, general manager of a fish-export company, sent 20kg of frozen banana prawns last Friday. He told me that prawn is packed with protein and that it would do great to the Tembari children.
This prawn would be cooked in coconut milk and curry for the daily weekday feeding.
Actually, Thomas sends every Friday a carton of frozen fish which we cook the next day. The banana prawn donation was a special one.
So, yesterday lunch was really plentiful and delicious and many of the children had two or three big helpings of the wonderful dishes.
Yesterday’s special Saturday lunch was capped with a serving of chocolate ice cream in a wafer cone.
It was one of the rare experiences with food that they would hardly forget.
That’s why the kids have always looked forward to Saturday – there would always be nice lunch treat every time
But this won’t be possible without sponsors who pay for the ingredients that go into the cooking of this special dish. Every week, two sponsors would chip in K150-K200 each to cover lunch for our 97 children.
And as always, I am always delighted to cook for them.
I know that my Saturday dishes are setting them off towards having a healthy body and a happy disposition in life.
Penny Sagembo, founder of The Cente (left), taking delivery of catered food yesterday, while Jeremy, staff of the kai-kai shop which donated the food, assists them
Volunteer mothers serving steaming potato soup to the children as the first item on their special lunch last Saturday. 
Potato soup is boiling wild in a 30-liter pot last Saturday. 
Hands shooting up as soon as ice cream serving is announced last Saturday.
Wagi topping up the water cooler with purified water sent by The Water Company Ltd, a weekly donor of purified water.
Wagi serving the children ice cream in wafer cones.
Wagi, The Center’s caretaker, preparing cordial drink donated by Coca-Cola Amatil.
An older child helping out a younger one wash her hands just before the potato soup is served.
Kids enjoying a sumptuous lunch of beef stew, lamb stew, breaded chicken wings, veggies, potato soup and cordial drink.
Kids enjoying their chocolate ice cream.
Children having a desert of chocolate ice cream after finishing lunch.Email me: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
jarahdz@online.net.pg
freddiephernandez@yahoo.com
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