FORTY CHILDREN of the transitional camp hosted by the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) were yesterday encouraged and shown how to make beneficial choices about what they put into their bodies.
They toured the Dining Club, a catering company at Newton, which is operated and owned by well- known local chef Peter Edey, and were taught how to make a healthy meal in 45 minutes using items they could find right in their kitchen at home.
Chef and kitchen manager David Yarde encouraged the boys to learn to cook and do the things girls could do so that they could live a wholesome life and take care of themselves.
The campers also toured the facilities and learnt about the importance of hygiene and sanitation and using separate freezers, cutting boards and kitchens for preparing different foods.
The aim of the camp was to prepare children who recently sat the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination for life at secondary school.
Makaeda Greenidge, community programme coordinator with the NCSA and camp director, said that since the camp started on Monday the children had been developing.
The children were also taught skills to help them cope with the mental and physical changes they will undergo as well as the social changes they will face during that period.
The camp director said significant improvements in hygiene, making of beds and in keeping rooms tidy were noted during room inspections. (LK)
She said some of the campers may only have the mother in the home and therefore the boys had discussion sessions with their male counterparts in the camp, offering them the opportunity to express themselves and get answers to burning questions they had. The girls also had an opportunity to speak to the aunties and the nurses.
The campers also visited the St Philip District Hospital, where they entertained and interacted with the elderly and the differently abled children there.
Greenidge said that some of the children were moved to tears after interacting with the disabled children. “They said they now have a greater appreciation for life, the ability to move, to play and go to school. So we encouraged them to be active and take up activities since some children their age would like to have the opportunity but they cannot because they are in a wheelchair or bedridden,” Greenidge said. (LK)
