One of the main reasons why we decided to start the kitchen is the large number of sick babies we have witnessed during our daily visits to families.
“Some babies are, due to poor nutrition, premature consumption of cow’s milk, insufficient intake of nutrients they need, due to the mixing of flour and water because the family will not buy milk – sick, and some of them even had to have exchange transfusions. The causes of all these conditions are poor quality nutrition“, says Aida Sadiković Mehonić, president of the Association “Obraduj nekoga”, within which the first Baby Kitchen in Bosnia and Herzegovina was launched.
Although we hear on television that politicians who run this country care about citizens, especially children, at the same time we are witnessing an increase in poverty, increased number of users in soup kitchens, and recently the first soup kitchen for babies was opened in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first “Baby Soup Kitchen” in Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened in Bratunac. This soup kitchen is a place where parents or guardians can come for meals for their little ones who need this kind of help.
Babies are given ready-made food, so babies get one liter of milk every day, for babies who are one year old or an adapted formula for babies whose mothers cannot breastfeed them. They are given porridge (vegetable or fruit with cereals) and polenta, semolina, cocoa, ground biscuits, biscuit for babies, depending on what is on the menu that day.
Aida Sadiković Mehonić, president of the Obraduj nekoga Association, said that the first baby soup kitchen was actually created as a kind of result of their project “Idemo na babine!”
“At the time when the COVID-19 pandemic attacked us on all fronts, the number of reported potential baby users increased significantly, i.e., due to a large number of dismissals, reduced salaries or unpaid work, more and more families with babies asked for our help. Then there was a need to provide a space where babies beneficiaries of a certain region will be able to come for meals and help packages for them, without us going to each of them individually, and that we can direct that time and resources to other babies from other cities. “Since we have been operating in Srebrenica, Bratunac and surrounding villages almost from the very beginning, we decided to open the first soup kitchen in Bratunac, thus making it easier for babies, and relieving the project Idemo na babine!'” Aida told to BUKA.
He points out that this type of help for babies is of a humanitarian nature, they strive to make the primary mission of the Baby Kitchen – a healthy meal for babies.
“One of the main reasons why we decided to start the kitchen is the large number of sick babies that we witnessed during our daily visits to families. Namely, mane of these babies are, due to poor nutrition, premature consumption of cow’s milk, insufficient intake of nutrients they need, mixing of flour and water because the family cannot buy milk – sick and some of them even had to have an exchange transfusion. The causes of all these conditions are poor quality nutrition. That is why in our kitchen, the emphasis is on a varied diet, especially when it comes to baby porridge, so babies get different porridges all 7 days a week. In the kitchen, 30 meals are distributed daily for 30 initial baby kitchen users, but already now, in the second week of work, we have many new requests for help, and we hope that with the help of good people and socially responsible companies we will soon be able to answer all of requests which meet the conditions. In addition to the daily meal, baby users of the kitchen receive a package of diapers, two packs of wet wipes and a cosmetic set for babies once a month,” Aida pointed out.
She explains that this baby kitchen is not a traditional kitchen where meals are cooked.
“We distribute ready-made food to babies, so babies get a liter of milk every day (babies over one year old) or an adapted formula for non-breastfeeding babies, porridge (vegetable or fruit with cereals) and polenta, semolina, cocoa, ground biscuits, biscuit for babies depending on what is on the menu that day. Babies also receive home-grown fruits and vegetables purchased from local producers, according to the season, or jams, home-made juices, etc. Also, if we have sponsors of one week or one month Baby Kitchen, we share with the daily meal and those donations. For the first month, a dairy from Bosnia and Herzegovina supported us with a donation of chocolate milk, so babies now have chocolate milk in addition to the listed items,” said Aida.
Aida says that the users of their baby kitchen are babies from low-income families from the area of Bratunac and Srebrenica.
“All users brought the necessary documentation for the application, which shows their social status, and we had the difficult task of setting criteria and selecting the 30 most vulnerable families with babies who will be our users,” explains our interviewee and adds that when they have published the news that they are opening the first baby soup kitchen, part of the population was horrified by saying that we have reached the bottom because there is a need for a baby kitchen.
“However, we always emphasize that in the past, these babies were actually users of soup kitchens, those for adults, because their parents are users as well. These parents also shared with the babies the meal they receive, and now the babies will receive a meal for themselves, intended for their age, fully compliant with the baby supplement table, completely healthy and a meal that will not be a problem for such small digestive organs. On the other hand, we will not hide the strong need to open this kind of baby kitchen, especially in parts of the country that lag behind other cities in terms of lack of child allowances, or these additions are very low, there is a great need for baby kitchen in parts of the country people lost their jobs due to the closure of large companies in which entire cities or settlements worked, etc. In any case, in times of enormous price increases and a pandemic that is breathing down our necks, a baby kitchen is needed in almost every city,” says Aida.
A baby shop with clothes and baby equipment has also been opened within the baby kitchen, and Aida says that the parents of their baby users were especially delighted with the existence of this shop. In this shop, babies get dressed, but baby equipment for socially disadvantaged pregnant women, such as cots, prams, baby carriers, etc., is also distributed.
Aida says that the supply of formula is a special problem for the majority of the population.
“When it comes to buying formulas, social differences among the population are being lost in our country. In the coming period, we will take initiatives to subsidize in a certain way the purchase of adapted formulas for mothers who, due to health reasons, illness or therapy that is contraindicated with breastfeeding, cannot breastfeed their babies. Awareness of the importance of proper nutrition for infants who are not breastfeeding is at a very low level in our country, and above all it is necessary to educate a large number of people about the importance of breastfeeding,” says our interviewee.
When it comes to planning, Aida tells us that they now have a huge and demanding job of finding donors, sponsors, partners in opening baby kitchens in cities where there is a great need for them.
“It was only when we opened the kitchen in Bratunac and when the users started coming, that we saw that the need was much greater than when we wrote the project plan. So, in the near future, our efforts will go towards achieving our goal – covering as many cities as possible with baby kitchens”, concludes Aida Sadiković Mehonić.
The first baby kitchen was opened in Bratunac, for the area of Bratunac, Srebrenica and surrounding villages. Users can contact the Facebook page Obraduj nekoga, or visit the kitchen at Svetog Save bb.
DONATIONS
Aida says they are constantly working to encourage the population to participate in donations for the baby kitchen.
By calling 090 292 045, donors donate 3 BAM for baby meals. In our premises at the address Himze Polovine no. 12, in Sarajevo, from Monday to Friday from 13 to 18:30, donors can deliver baby food. Also, cash donations for baby kitchen donors can be paid in one of the following ways:
Payments from Bosnia and Herzegovina:
154-180-20092471-62
Recipient: Association Obraduj nekoga
Intesa San Paolo Bank
Purpose: baby kitchen
572 -456-00000789-78
MF Bank
Recipient:
Association Obraduj nekoga
Purpose: baby kitchen
Payments from abroad: IBAN: BA391541802009247162
S. W.I.F.T: UPBKBA22
Paypal: aidas-m@live.com
