Food On The Move

PHILIPPINES: A mobile kitchen is giving young people a chance to learn about life and the means to make a living.

Woman talking to group of people sitting There are hundreds of school-age children in Bulacan Province who, for all sorts of reasons, do not attend school.

One of the more obvious is poverty. Many children come from desperately poor families unable to afford school fees. Some children just don't like school - it has no relevance or appeal.

Inside the van - cooking class in session

For others it's a case of feeling they don't belong or have missed too much, either through illness, family breakdown or because they're too often needed at home.

But there's hope. For many children who don't go to traditional school, a vocational training course is proving a godsend.

Over 300 young people are learning how to cook through a new scheme - a catering skills course like no other. Instead of students sitting quietly in a classroom listening thoughtfully, they're up on their feet chopping, mixing and whisking. They're lively and alert and discussions are intense.

The four walls of a standard classroom have been substituted for a specially modified container van. Complete with special fixtures and modern appliances, it's a state-of-the-art kitchen and training room on wheels. There's even a built-in 'audiovisual' so trainee cooks can watch expert instructors demonstrate new and fancy techniques.

In 2004, the catering skills course was judged one of the top activities in the Panibagong Paraan contest organised by the World Bank.

No other aid activity quite matches the versatility - or indeed mobility - of the kitchen van which travels all around Bulacan Province.

Executive Director of the Culinary Education Foundation which runs the project, Rosette Yupangco, says disadvantaged young people are getting a chance at life. 'The training courses help those who are keen, and willing to learn, to pursue a career in the food industry. And because we come to them in the provinces they don't have to make their way to Manila - which is often dangerous and difficult for young people.' Chefs and culinary instructors are both pleased to be passing on their skills and inspired by the project's success. Non-formal practical education that prepares young people for useful employment is proving a way forward. Making food is quite literally a move out of poverty.

'The food industry has the capacity to absorb many employees as it is very labour intensive,' says Rosette Yupangco. 'Also, as the food industry grows it will spur growth in other industries, such as manufacturing and merchandising. Restaurants need plates and tablecloths, wall hangings and furniture and so on.'

After students graduate many will start their own businesses in their local areas. This will be encouraged, as will higher sights - perhaps some will go abroad.

'We aim to develop world-class socially aware Filipino chefs by instilling knowledge, discipline and top skills so that they may succeed anywhere in the competitive food industry,' says Rosette Yupangco.

The mobile catering courses are run by the Culinary Education Foundation which is part funded by AusAID through the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program. Other donors include the Canadian International Development Agency, Ai-Hu Foundation and various private corporations.

2006