Rotation Activity 4: Food we eat in our Hungry Planet
Rotation Activity 4: Food we eat in our Hungry Planet For this rotation activity, you need the following: Basket of ‘typical’ Australian food Refugee rations on a tray – rice, beans, oil, sugar A3 laminated photos by Peter Menzel A3 laminated photos of refugees receiving rations, cooking, on their journey etc. A3 laminated photo of Lucia’s hands holding the beans A4 laminated sign - no-one ever chooses to become a refugee
Food We Eat Have a big basket of food with all types of food for students to focus on in the middle of the large group. Ask the students: How much do we eat here in Australia? Have students talk to their neighbour: What food might eat in a day? Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, snacks? Do we need all the food we eat, or have we just started eating too much? How much food do we waste? How much do we eat food to excess? Hungry Planet Peter Menzel – visited 30 families in 24 countries and took a photo of what they family bought each week to eat. He then worked out how much money (converted into US Dollars) it would cost each week for their family to eat. He put the photos into a book called Hungry Planet. Go through the pictures (on A3 laminated sheets) and ask the students what they notice (number in family, types of food, amount of money etc.). What conclusions have you come to regarding consumption, hunger, culture and food? Talk to your neighbour for two minutes. So much food, but look at this … Refugee Rations – have rations on a tray beside the other basket of food. • 420g uncooked rice • 70g bean / lentils • 40g sugar • 20g vegetable oil Ask students to look at the rations. Ask students what they would cook with the rations. Every day. The same rations. Show photos on how rations are distributed each fortnight. Discuss the plight of refugees, particularly those fleeing into Kenya at the moment with the East African drought and famine. (You do not need to read the following, but get some information out – there will be some photos that you can just reflect on as well.) Refugees flee their homelands due to war and persecution or the drought and famine and make their way to refugee camps in neighbouring countries. The camps are run by the UNHCR, but organisations like Lutheran World Federation (our partners in Africa) manage the camps, and work alongside other aid agencies. These camps include Kakuma and Dadaab – the largest refugee camp in the world with almost 500 000 people there.
Refugees arrive at a Reception Centre, a couple of kilometers outside of the camp. In most cases, the refugees are exhausted (often from walking long distances), are in poor health condition and have witnessed great trauma. So, so the first thing that happens is they are given a good meal. Not good compared to what you eat in Australia. But good for someone who may not have eaten properly for months on end. Good for someone who has just walked for weeks. Good for someone who has suffered unimaginable trauma. After arriving, they are met by staff from the Lutheran team. The refugees undertake a Security Clearance Then comes the verification of new arrivals – fingerprinting and a file of all relevant and available data established. Vulnerable cases identified and people given special care if needed. Refugees then undergo medical screening and medical attention as necessary, and refugees receive their ration cards so they can get food rations, and receive non-food items like blankets, soap, pots and pans and water containers. The food rations are simple – like salt, flour, oil and corn. People are given food rations every 14 days, the amount depending on the number of people in the family. Young children are given ‘wet’ food to help them grow and develop into healthy adults. The food is like a porridge that we would eat here in Australia. The same porridge, every single day, at the same time. No complaining. Because it is good for them. Over a period of time, refugee families are allocated a shelter in which to make their home. Some refugees live in camps for many, many years, while many children are born in camps, and grow up knowing no other life. Children are educated if there are teacher, and adults are sometimes taught new skills like sewing or how to make bricks. Orphans are fostered out by other families – many who have lost loved ones of their own. The disabled are cared for and loved. Many of the refugees have seen unimaginable horror, and so they receive counselling and special care as needed.
Oredi and Johara This is Oredi (16) and Johari (14) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now refugees at Kakuma in Kenya. “We were at home one night when the soldiers came to our house and knocked on the door. “There were three kinds of soldiers in the Congo – one Government, and two informal. Those two were fighting, and my father was a soldier for one of them. “When they knocked on the door, my father welcomed them in. I heard them talking, and then they grabbed him and stabbed him with a knife. “My mother was crying and complaining. They hit her on the back. “I don‟t know if my mother survived because the soldiers took us children away. There were six of us. Three ran away, and I don‟t know what has happened to them. This was last year. “The soldiers used us to collect firewood and cook. If we refused, we would be beaten. “One time we were sent to look for firewood, and we decided we would try to escape. We quietly walked to a nearby road, and a lorry-driver rescued us and took us to Nairobi. We went to UNHCR and found our brother, one of the three who had run away that night. He was 10 then. We were interviewed and told to wait.” “The younger ones are still lost,” he says, “and I am worried about them.” I suggest he must have had extraordinary courage to survive, escape and lead his sister to this place of safety. “I don‟t feel I have any courage. I am just existing and life is simply there.” When I ask about the future for him, Oredi has no hesitation. “In the future, even if I get money, this means nothing to me. I just want peace.”
Young sister Johari, who is 14, joins us. Her face is frozen into blank hard hurt. I fear she may have been used in ways her brother is too shy to say. I notice she is wearing a cross prominently around her neck, and I ask her how she was able to survive. “I got strength from my brother. I was praying for strength.” Concepta “I ran away because of the war. When the rebels came, there was severe fighting. I saw many heavy guns being shot. The battle happened at night-time but the bullets made it like day. As we were running away I saw some people who were unlucky and were shot. All my feelings were hurting as we ran. We had to jump over dead bodies. I had a child on my back, another in my hand, and I was pregnant. You don‟t know if you will survive or not. We were all captured and taken to the rebel camp. This was in 1989 and we were kept with them until 1993. We had nothing. Our clothes were gone, everything was gone, and we must live just like that. I have not seen my husband since that night of the attack. I do not know what has happened to him. My children cried out for their father. It disturbed me so much to hear them. But I know he is not coming. Sometimes I feel like crying, but people say to me „Do not cry‟, and you have to learn to live like that. You know what they did to my two young daughters. They were taken away by force to be „wives‟ to the commanders. Until now I have never yet seen them. When Concepta arrived at the camp, she was deeply wounded. But she is back on her feet once again, and now is the Principal of one of the camp schools, and is an inspiration to many, many people.
Show the photo of Lucia holding the remaining beans in her hands. Tell the story: Lucia arrived at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya last year after walking for 10 days with her family from Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, this was the only food the entire family had left to eat. Ask students to think about the beans in their little packets, and the life saving qualities of the beans for so many people around the world. Show the sign – No-one EVER chooses to become a refugee. Stress that no-one EVER chooses to become a refugee, and that issues of food are such a difficult yet essential part of the care of refugees. Closing thoughts: Ask students to once again look at the refugee rations, and to take that image away with them – not to feel bad when they have such an abundance of food, but rather to thy to empathise with the small amount of food that people in our world are eating every day.
Food We Eat Have a big basket of food with all types of food for students to focus on in the middle of the large group. Ask the students: How much do we eat here in Australia? Have students talk to their neighbour: What food might eat in a day? Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, snacks? Do we need all the food we eat, or have we just started eating too much? How much food do we waste? How much do we eat food to excess? Hungry Planet Peter Menzel – visited 30 families in 24 countries and took a photo of what they family bought each week to eat. He then worked out how much money (converted into US Dollars) it would cost each week for their family to eat. He put the photos into a book called Hungry Planet. Go through the pictures (on A3 laminated sheets) and ask the students what they notice (number in family, types of food, amount of money etc.). What conclusions have you come to regarding consumption, hunger, culture and food? Talk to your neighbour for two minutes. So much food, but look at this … Refugee Rations – have rations on a tray beside the other basket of food. • 420g uncooked rice • 70g bean / lentils • 40g sugar • 20g vegetable oil Ask students to look at the rations. Ask students what they would cook with the rations. Every day. The same rations. Show photos on how rations are distributed each fortnight. Discuss the plight of refugees, particularly those fleeing into Kenya at the moment with the East African drought and famine. (You do not need to read the following, but get some information out – there will be some photos that you can just reflect on as well.) Refugees flee their homelands due to war and persecution or the drought and famine and make their way to refugee camps in neighbouring countries. The camps are run by the UNHCR, but organisations like Lutheran World Federation (our partners in Africa) manage the camps, and work alongside other aid agencies. These camps include Kakuma and Dadaab – the largest refugee camp in the world with almost 500 000 people there.
Refugees arrive at a Reception Centre, a couple of kilometers outside of the camp. In most cases, the refugees are exhausted (often from walking long distances), are in poor health condition and have witnessed great trauma. So, so the first thing that happens is they are given a good meal. Not good compared to what you eat in Australia. But good for someone who may not have eaten properly for months on end. Good for someone who has just walked for weeks. Good for someone who has suffered unimaginable trauma. After arriving, they are met by staff from the Lutheran team. The refugees undertake a Security Clearance Then comes the verification of new arrivals – fingerprinting and a file of all relevant and available data established. Vulnerable cases identified and people given special care if needed. Refugees then undergo medical screening and medical attention as necessary, and refugees receive their ration cards so they can get food rations, and receive non-food items like blankets, soap, pots and pans and water containers. The food rations are simple – like salt, flour, oil and corn. People are given food rations every 14 days, the amount depending on the number of people in the family. Young children are given ‘wet’ food to help them grow and develop into healthy adults. The food is like a porridge that we would eat here in Australia. The same porridge, every single day, at the same time. No complaining. Because it is good for them. Over a period of time, refugee families are allocated a shelter in which to make their home. Some refugees live in camps for many, many years, while many children are born in camps, and grow up knowing no other life. Children are educated if there are teacher, and adults are sometimes taught new skills like sewing or how to make bricks. Orphans are fostered out by other families – many who have lost loved ones of their own. The disabled are cared for and loved. Many of the refugees have seen unimaginable horror, and so they receive counselling and special care as needed.
Oredi and Johara This is Oredi (16) and Johari (14) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now refugees at Kakuma in Kenya. “We were at home one night when the soldiers came to our house and knocked on the door. “There were three kinds of soldiers in the Congo – one Government, and two informal. Those two were fighting, and my father was a soldier for one of them. “When they knocked on the door, my father welcomed them in. I heard them talking, and then they grabbed him and stabbed him with a knife. “My mother was crying and complaining. They hit her on the back. “I don‟t know if my mother survived because the soldiers took us children away. There were six of us. Three ran away, and I don‟t know what has happened to them. This was last year. “The soldiers used us to collect firewood and cook. If we refused, we would be beaten. “One time we were sent to look for firewood, and we decided we would try to escape. We quietly walked to a nearby road, and a lorry-driver rescued us and took us to Nairobi. We went to UNHCR and found our brother, one of the three who had run away that night. He was 10 then. We were interviewed and told to wait.” “The younger ones are still lost,” he says, “and I am worried about them.” I suggest he must have had extraordinary courage to survive, escape and lead his sister to this place of safety. “I don‟t feel I have any courage. I am just existing and life is simply there.” When I ask about the future for him, Oredi has no hesitation. “In the future, even if I get money, this means nothing to me. I just want peace.”
Young sister Johari, who is 14, joins us. Her face is frozen into blank hard hurt. I fear she may have been used in ways her brother is too shy to say. I notice she is wearing a cross prominently around her neck, and I ask her how she was able to survive. “I got strength from my brother. I was praying for strength.” Concepta “I ran away because of the war. When the rebels came, there was severe fighting. I saw many heavy guns being shot. The battle happened at night-time but the bullets made it like day. As we were running away I saw some people who were unlucky and were shot. All my feelings were hurting as we ran. We had to jump over dead bodies. I had a child on my back, another in my hand, and I was pregnant. You don‟t know if you will survive or not. We were all captured and taken to the rebel camp. This was in 1989 and we were kept with them until 1993. We had nothing. Our clothes were gone, everything was gone, and we must live just like that. I have not seen my husband since that night of the attack. I do not know what has happened to him. My children cried out for their father. It disturbed me so much to hear them. But I know he is not coming. Sometimes I feel like crying, but people say to me „Do not cry‟, and you have to learn to live like that. You know what they did to my two young daughters. They were taken away by force to be „wives‟ to the commanders. Until now I have never yet seen them. When Concepta arrived at the camp, she was deeply wounded. But she is back on her feet once again, and now is the Principal of one of the camp schools, and is an inspiration to many, many people.
Show the photo of Lucia holding the remaining beans in her hands. Tell the story: Lucia arrived at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya last year after walking for 10 days with her family from Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, this was the only food the entire family had left to eat. Ask students to think about the beans in their little packets, and the life saving qualities of the beans for so many people around the world. Show the sign – No-one EVER chooses to become a refugee. Stress that no-one EVER chooses to become a refugee, and that issues of food are such a difficult yet essential part of the care of refugees. Closing thoughts: Ask students to once again look at the refugee rations, and to take that image away with them – not to feel bad when they have such an abundance of food, but rather to thy to empathise with the small amount of food that people in our world are eating every day.
