My Refugee Food Ration Box arrived on Saturday while we were out getting our shopping just as I posted the other day, but I have waited until now to actually open it up. Of course reading through all the downloadable information and from past experience I knew exactly what would be inside it ... but it is always a shock to see just how little there is to keep a refugee's body and soul together for one week.
In some camps refugees now get their boxes fortnightly and if they are in a family group they are given a box that contains enough for six people. The sad thing is sometimes there simply are not enough boxes to go around and families share what they have to try to feed everyone, especially the children.
The actual box is the emergency ration and they are also given coupons by the UN or other charitable organisations which they can exchange for bags of rice or flour in the camp shops ... hence us getting the little coupons in the box that tell us how much rice and flour to add to our supplies for the week.
The actual value of the box is just over £3.
Between us our fundraising has now covered the cost of over 300 boxes!!
Thank you 💖
My Unboxing Video on YouTube
Almost my entire weeks worth of food for Ration Challenge week is now in the box and waiting until Sunday 19th June. All that I need to add to this are the few extras that I have now earned ... the spring onions, the peanut butter, the tinned tomatoes and a drink.
It's not a lot for a week is it, or as the refugees have it ... not a lot for weeks, months, and even many, many years.
Thank you for all your donations and encouragement, it is really appreciated.
If you do go over and watch the video could you click on the little Thumbs Up just so I can tell how many people have watched it. (Of course if you hate it you can always click on the Thumbs Down.) Thank you.
Sue xx
It is even more sobering to see your actual contents than read about them. In nutritional/quantity terms I used to feed Daisy more than that each week.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I'm thinking about the sheer number of fast-food outlets I always come across in America, and the portion sizes they serve. Makes me feel we are living in a time when the world is completely bonkers 😢
It really is isn't it. I can just imagine a refugee family sitting down to a single portion American meal and the joy they would have sharing it out between them.
DeleteWhat I find so hard to comprehend is that there's not a single tin of fruit in the box. It must all be nutritionally sound but so dull 😞 I'm cheering you on madly from the sidelines, Sue, because I know that I couldn't do it. Good luck 🍀👍x
ReplyDeleteI should imagine trying to add tinned fruit to the boxes would make them heavier to transport and that has to be taken into consideration too. The tinned kidney beans are added instead of dried as not all refugees would have the cooking means to safely boil dried kidney beans for the time needed to make them safe to eat.
DeleteCertainly makes me feel like a greedy pig for all of the food I eat in a week! You did a good job of unpacking the box and explaining it all to us. Best of luck in your challenge!
ReplyDeleteIn my work with refugees over several decades (now retired), I often made home visits to recently arrived refugees resettled across the US to ensure they were receiving the goods and services required under our national grant program. As you can imagine, seeing as you have in your ration package the limited amount food of refugees receives in camps, refugees arrivals were/are flabbergasted by US grocery stores…the size, the volume and variety of foods. Refugee arrivals in the US were/are provided initial funds and food stamps for a brief period, but as we all know, there is never really enough to cover the needs, especially when a family is learning about a new culture, new foods and often new ways of cooking (many had never seen a stove or refrigerator, much less used one). What always humbled me, however, was that no matter how many times refugees were told not to try to provide any refreshments for our home visits (we did not want they using their food!), I cannot remember a single home visit where the refugees would fail to provide some type of food/drink, often their cultural specialty. Hospitality to someone they regarded as a guest in their home, regardless of their own straightened circumstances, was/is of paramount importance to them. Their generosity in the face of overwhelming adversity is something I will always remember. Mary
ReplyDeleteNot much to survive on. I watched the video but couldn't find the thumbs up. Like the above poster refugees in Canada get the same type of help when they arrive.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.