The Mamma Margarita school canteen has become a decisive factor in ensuring the daily nutrition of 60 children and adolescents linked to the Madre del Salvador Reference Centre in the city of Esmeraldas. The project responds to a priority need: to ensure the integral care of minors living in high social and economic risk contexts by providing them with adequate nutrition.
Since its launch last August, the canteen has been offering a nutritious and balanced lunch that promotes the physical and cognitive development of its beneficiaries. The children come from the Santa Martha 2 neighbourhood and surrounding areas, where they find not only food, but also educational support and a safe environment that strengthens their personal and social skills.
A decent lunch every day is part of the comprehensive protection of children in Esmeraldas.
The canteen is named after Mamma Margaret, Don Bosco’s mother – and thanks to him, the mother of many other needy children in the Oratory at Valdocco. In this way, its very name conveys a message of unconditional love and care for the most vulnerable. The new Salesian work in the city of Esmeraldas continues this tradition by offering a service that goes far beyond assistance. To this end, the centre’s educational team identifies the needs of minors, accompanies their growth processes and offers concrete responses to families to ensure that minors continue to attend school, improve their academic performance and participate in the project’s formation spaces.
The canteen relies on the support of local and international institutions for its operation. Thanks to their intervention, the necessary resources for infrastructure, equipment and food supplies have been made available. The Proyecto Salesiano Costa Norte Foundation carries out constant coordination, fundraising and monitoring and evaluation of the intervention in order to ensure its sustainability over time.
In addition, the proposal includes a food education component that promotes healthy habits, hygiene and autonomy, with the aim of enabling children to replicate, share and spread these good practices in their homes. The participation of families, through awareness-raising and support activities, reinforces the community impact of the project.
With this canteen, the Salesians in Ecuador reaffirm their commitment to the protection of children and adolescents, especially in the poorest areas. The decent nutrition, educational support and comprehensive assistance that children receive help to build an environment of hope that transforms reality and opens up opportunities for the future.
Source: Misiones Salesianas
