Muci Solidarity Kitchens

The Kitchens of Solidarity Muci is a Program of the Association Muci of Volunteers AVM to feed and educate the streets kids of Port-au-Prince and Haïti.

Problem Addressed

For the mothers and fathers, the poor and the children, the most important problem is feeding everyone.

The children are the first victims of malnutrition. A child underfed is more inclined to suffer from diseases and cannot study. Two children or more out of a hundred die of malnutrition, we must avoid that.

Malnutrition affects adults also; they cannot give a good output at work. They suffer from anemia, tuberculosis and other diseases. The economic crisis and malnutrition make us live in constant anguish in such desperate situations.

Some causes of malnutrition:

• The rise in the prices of goods of first need. The poor buys less products with the same money.
• No jobs.
• Almost non-existent health care, the accumulation of trash everywhere.
• Lack of drinking water and children not vaccinated are very exposed.

The Three Models of Kitchens of Solidarity

1. Community Kitchens
   • Each kitchen serves a certain number of registered families. Each family receives rations to eat at home.
   • The number of registered families in a kitchen can be between 10 to 100 families.
   • A member of the family goes to the kitchen and collects the provisions (rations). Each family can have between 4 to 10 rations.
   • These families take turns to manage the kitchen.
   • The members of the neighborhood or the community can equally participate at its administration.
2. Volunteer Kitchens
   • A group of volunteers, someone or an institution create an kitchen and identify the beneficiaries (the children of the street, students etc.).
   • The manager and the cooks are paid for their work.
3. Central Kitchens
   • Large kitchens produce food in great quantity, and smaller kitchens come to collect the supplies and food.

Organization and Management of Kitchens of Solidarity

Each kitchen is created and managed by local people, groups or different institutions. Each one has to find the best way to function and to manage successfully. The kitchens can function alone or in groups.

Independent solidarity kitchens

These kitchens are organized and managed by the members themselves or the families who receive the meals. The members manage, buy the products and control the expenses. The independent kitchens start with members who help them find assistance. Their start is very different but they will stay strong and united. In this kitchen, relying on mutual effort, the members arrive at a common vision for the future. The members have the right to choose their menu, they control their expenses, their purchases, schedule and shifts changing. In the independent kitchen, the food is not the only benefit. The members work there, learn how to take decision, to manage and to participate. While doing these things they learn to respect themselves and make people respect them as person and as woman.

Dependent solidarity kitchens

These kitchens are created, organized and managed by someone, a group or an institution. In this case an administrator is chosen and he chooses the cooks and employés to prepare and divide the rations. The administrator controls the operation, the expenses and the people who come to take their rations. The dependent kitchens need help and resources to start.

Organizing and Launching a Solidarity Kitchen

Technical assistance, training and financing

Association des Volontaires MUCI (AVM) has set up a structure which gives technical assistance, training and financing to the groups who wish to get a kitchen.

People come to try this experiment to form a kitchen not to copy the model but to initiate what is positive. They can improve the operation of their kitchen and compare with the others knowing that the experiences are different. They can develop the activities of their kitchen for the benefit of the community.

The structure for technical assistance and formation of MUCI provides training to people or associations who want to start a kitchen.

The training starts with a group of 15 people and includes:

• Data sheet
• Number of members and their dependents
• Their age, weight, size of the kids in order to detect malnutrition.
• Place of residence- other observations: health, economic problems and malnutrition.
• Find other members-Promotion
• Meeting in assembly to elect a steering committee.
• Membership data card
• Search for buildings, financing, equipment, plan time, schedule, shift-
• The installation of the kitchen
• Management of the accounts
• Rights and duties
• How to solve the problems

Donate now and Support the Creation and Operation of Kitchens of Solidarity in Haiti

Click on the button below to support the Kitchens of Solidarity with a donation using your credit card or Paypal account.

Contact and More Information

For more details, contact us directly:

• Emeline Desert
  Mobile No.: (509)3604.6998 and (509)3484.2114
  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1591185127
  e-mail: emelinedesert [at] yahoo [dot] com
• Danel Georges
  Mobile No.: (509)3401.1478 and (509)3727.5574
  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danel.georges
  e-mail: dagyve [at] yahoo [dot] com
• Association des Volontaires MUCI (AVM)
  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/associationsdesvolontairesmuci