Project Dignity

10/1

Not so good news, the government agency does not see the need for a hawker training centre and will be difficult to support. I will have to think of another way to get the training center approved. We have people interested to come to come for hawker training but only if there is a subsidy from the government agency.

11/1

Batch 1 recruitment starts with an newspaper article and over 300 telephone enquiries. In the first batch with have a wide spectrum of students with various disabilities and challenges - single mother, blind, long term unemployed, ex-prisoner, elderly, polio et al. All in the adult group

For batch 2 we decided to work with children with disabilities.

I made a visit to Movement of the Intellectually Disabled (MIND) school and interviewed the students. Selected two students from MINDs with learning disability. The interview was not so much the talking or question and answers but more to see them working and performing tasks. The first student KH is the head prefect and he was tasked to moved some speakers to the main hall. The second student QA was tasked to collect some keys from one person to another. There was another two kids I met but not so appropriate for Dignity Kitchen at the moment. I was looking for Social skills, able to Articulate and Mobility in action, we term it as SAM approach.

I met with QA's mother in the interview. I have come to understand that to recruit children with disability, it is always wise to interview the mother first. Why? Firstly to explain to the parent but more importantly to get the support of the parents in working together for the program to succeed

17/1

Today KH report to class. Very quiet and reserve the first few hours. It has to do with the strange place. The mother was present and we have to sent her back. No distraction.

We did our normal orientation briefing. Then by lunch time he starts hugging me and rest of the trainers and later the elderly that comes for lunch. Initially it was not worrying but when he starts hugging complete strangers, I was concern. I called the vice principal for advise. One of his school teacher spoke to him Eventually we compromise that he is not allow to hug anyone other than the few trainers and if he wants to to hug he can lean his head on their shoulder. According to the teacher, KH hugs partly because of affection but also for insecurity in a strange place and meeting strangers, performing different tasks.

18/1

There was an invite to a networking function tonight. Surprising many people have heard of Dignity Kitchen and the story of the blind hawker. This is good. We do not have advertising budget and any publicity is good for us.

I finished all the Dignity Kitchen names cards in one evening. By the end of the day, I realise that to sell Dignity Kitchen one need to see it in operation. Not so easy to explain. people needs to watch the lunch treat,the disabled cooking and serving and participation of the sponsors.

20/1

QA starts work today and my fear was the way he speaks, very gangster like. Something he needs to change.

I estimate that in the last few months, the lost is averaging $1000 per day or there about. Am I worried, the answer is Yes. There is no turning back. It will depend on starting the education side of the business.With government agency approval as a training center and able to tap government training grant for the courses, I will be able to breakeven soon.

Till today I still have no business plan, just a cash flow projection but this is slow at the moment as I under estimate the volume of business when I design the chart of account for Dignity Kitchen. November and December 2010 accounts is till not updated. I know I am losing money but just not sure the exact losses......

Project Dignity

3/1

Walk into the school today and spend some time cleaning up the classroom.

Just dawn on me that everything in the classroom is second hand. The chairs which are mismatch is complimentary from a scrap dealer. Preferred somethingwith a writing board. In the classroom there is an electronic whiteboard and a white screen from my old office. The projector is from my manager's previous office. There is also a rack from a factory clearance. Cost of setting up is minimal.

Start of the new year and my first mistake for the year is that I have no cook...... Of the 11 in batch 1, two will be back to the Deaf Association to work, two will be going to Resort World, one is going to Wendy's and one will be starting on his own.

We started with another blind man V and his wife R. In this case love is great. R sacrifice her career to help her blind husband to work together. They must spend the next two weeks getting used to the place.

The OCD did not turn up. What a blessing

6/1

An ugly incident today at the dessert stall.

The stout looking man stood at the dessert stall and shouted at my ex-cancer boy. "I gave you $10 and this is the wrong change." the ex-cancer boy looks lost for word and could only stare at the man. "Give me the change NOW" The man continued. The ex-cancer boy replied timidly "It was a $5, you gave me."

The commotion caught my attention and I approached the stout looking man. Something tell me that my ex cancer boy is right and it was a $5 note that he was given. I got a feeling that the man is trying to cheat my ex-cancer boy whose memory following a brain operation is very low. I trust my ex-cancer boy.

I turn towards the man and said "If it is a $10 I will apologizes and the food is free, If not I will request that you move on and we shall forget this incident" I pointed towards a camera that is at the top of the stall.

The face of the stout looking man suddenly changed and he turn and walk away without uttering a word. I open the cashier machine and noticed that there was no $10 note.

Why do people cheats on people with disabilities?

Project Dignity

23/12

Todays mark the end of lessons for Batch 1 and individually they have a small test. Every one of the student has to cook a dish as a final assignment. The kitchen was frantic and the examiner is a very tough one who has spend the last four weeks working with the individual students. frankly I was quite surprise what they have come up with for their examination piece. It was good fun.

Siting in one corner is someone who has been visiting Dignity Kitchen for the past two weeks. he will come to sit in one corner and just stare. After a few time I got to notice him. "I want to join the school." said the man in his late forties."I can cook and I want to be a hawker" iWe got talking and I discover that he suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). He has been out of work for ten years. I did not know what OCD was and what was his disability.

Today is Christmas Eve and it is a tough decision whether to enrol him or not. The thought of Dicken's Christmas Carol came to mind. The man took out his medicine box and by the look of it has not been clean since he bought it. There was something like 7 - 8 tablets and pills in each compartment marked with the day of the weeks. "When I took my medicine I an alright for 6 to 7 hours. Please." He requested."I need the work."

Time for consultation. I called two doctor friends and a head nurse. The action was for him to produce a doctor certificate that he is able to work in a hawker stall.....

In the evening we will close the account and also clear the remaining food for the day. The leftover food is either given it to the cleaning staff or transport to a nearly elderly home. Tonight we went to a new elderly and was told that there is a policy in the home that does not received food for fear of food poisoning. Went to another home and they accepted wholeheartedly. Another home was even more interesting, they were selective on what we give them. Only the kueh but not the sandwiches.

27/12

First of several interviews for student placement. The hearing impaired preferred to leave as hawker not for him. It is fair as he has worked hard and know what he does not like to do. He find the heat tough to bear and we are happy for him. The job opportunity include manning a stall in Burlington Square. The other hearing impaired does not work shift and turn down an offer from Kopitiam not keen. The elderly got a job and very happy. He will be going to work for Wendy's

28/12

Just realize I make a mistake of letting go early and there s no students to ensure the food quality is in place . What a mistake. It will be a while to train someone....

30/12

We got our first delivery order today for 100 packet for old folks home. This is another revenue model. It was not easy to persuade anyone to give us a home delivery. We explain that in our lunch treat only a certain number can enjoyed our food. There are those who cannot come for various reasons and it will be great if we can deliver to them. Our first delivery.