Distributing Food & Water in the Olive Grove

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A key moment that the Olive Grove turned from Camp to CampUs, was when we changed the way food and water was distributed there. We knew that there's a way to avoid how the process is usually handled - long queues, hours of waiting, sometimes to find out there's no food left- because of the inspiring model used by the municipality and site management of Kara Tepe! They apply a community based approach, empowering a set of volunteers with the responsibility of delivering food to all the residents tents. Our challenge was to find a model that would work with the Olive Grove South and all the actors that are involved with running the site. The main problem was figuring out how to keep things efficient by maintaining a queue based system, but that still gives residents a sense of agency and dignity. Here’s the innovative solution we came up with! 

To dignify the distribution process in the Olive Grove, we issue food cards to residents. Each block appoints a delegate who uses the card to collect food and water for their peers.

The model promotes a sense of agency and community among our residents, but it is still efficient. We have queues, it's just that instead of having 500 people wait, we only have around 50 people in line!

Mahamadou is one of many resident volunteers that helps out at the food line. “I distribute food in the line three times a day. In the morning and and at lunch time, we give water with the food. First I do the registration and the single men come to take their food."

"There are only a few families [in Olive Grove South], so I bring the food to them in their tent,” he adds. 

The innovative and disruptive way we approach challenges, are about finding solutions that meet our communities needs, while still keeping everyone happy. We're glad to see the positive impact this distribution model continues to have on the sense of harmony in Olive Grove South. 

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