Members of the Tuzluçayır Women’s Solidarity ociation organized a protest in Ankara, demanding that students be given one free meal at school. A grandmother looking after her grandchild said in her speech at the protest: “I can’t feed myself. Hear our voice now. We couldn’t go to the markets. We soaked dry bread and started feeding it to our children. “Cheese has become a luxury for us, eggs have become a luxury,” she rebelled.
Release:
Members of the Tuzluçayır Women’s Solidarity ociation in Ankara made a press statement today in front of the ociation building about providing one free meal to students. Many women and students’ parents also attended the press release, which was supported by EMEP Deputy Sevda Karaca.
“OUR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL HUNGRY”
Elif Sancı from Tuzluçayır Women’s Solidarity ociation said:
* “The right to nutrition, which we have been fighting for since last year, for which we collected street signatures, and which started in kindergarten cles, has started to be denied as of today. While we say that these children should be fed without discrimination in primary schools, secondary schools and high schools, today we see that while imams are appointed to schools in secondary schools and high schools with the ÇEDES application and budget is allocated for them, we say that they are weaned from the milk that will be put into the nutrition of our children. Our children have the right to one free, healthy meal in all public schools. Our children go to school hungry.
“NO MORE CHILD SHOULD NOT GO HUNGRY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS”
* Don’t let another child go hungry in public schools. Everyone should eat equally and eat healthy. We want a single meal to be distributed to everyone in schools without discrimination. Parents tell us, when will meals start being distributed in schools?
* Children go hungry in schools. We know how much a box of eggs, a cheese, and an olive cost, among the most basic needs. We can’t get along anyway. We say that for parents who think about what to put in their diet every day, nutrition should be distributed in public schools to all children, regardless of primary schools, secondary schools and high schools, in order to ensure that children have a healthy diet so that not one more child goes hungry.”
“Aren’t you ashamed of leaving children hungry?”
Sevda Karaca said:
* “Through this ociation, we filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of National Education on behalf of women all over the country who want a free meal and say that this is their right. We said to them, “How can you occupy those ministries when millions of children in the country are going to school hungry, there are children fainting from hunger at school, and mothers and fathers are thinking about how to put a slice of bread while sending their children to school every day?”
* In this campaign, which we carried out with actions, signature campaigns and events, in which hundreds of people signed, we actually asked the following question to the entire AKP government, through the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of National Education; Today, in a country where the minimum wage is at the starvation line, in a country where the poverty line reaches 40 thousand liras, workers have to come out of their pockets at least 5 thousand liras to provide a meal a day for a single child.
* Get up and tell us on your social media accounts, ‘Children should eat 3 main meals and 2 snacks a day; You say, “This is necessary for their development.” On the day you shamelessly send the same tweet, you are usurping our right to a free meal in preschool groups, the right we have earned with our teeth and nails. We ask here, aren’t you ashamed? Aren’t you ashamed of leaving children hungry?
“WHY ARE THE POOR PEOPLE ALWAYS PAYING THE ACCOUNT FOR YOUR SAVINGS?”
* When we started the campaign last year, we said that 1 in 4 children goes to school hungry. Today, even the official government figures have left this data in the past. Today, more and more children start school hungry. More children will faint from hunger at school desks in the coming days.
* More children will feel embarred going to school. More parents will pick up their children from school. More poor people, especially girls, will be forced to withdraw from education. From where? Because you made education paid. You have come to see even one meal for children under the name of ‘savings circular’. We ask, why do poor people always bear the blame for your savings? Why do these scars of poverty always remain as big scars on the necks of poor children? Aren’t you ashamed?
“NUTRITION IS EVERY CHILD’S RIGHT”
A citizen who said she was a mother of three children said the following about children’s nutrition:
* “Schools opened today. Today I fed my children at the ociation. I couldn’t feed my children, I didn’t know what to do. My wife works for minimum wage; One works, one doesn’t. No job. We cannot survive on minimum wage. I don’t know how to feed them because we don’t get along. I haven’t been able to buy cheese for my children for two weeks. How will they eat healthy? Nutrition is the right of every child. If I can’t buy something for my child, my friend can’t buy anything either. This is valid for every school. “We want to make our voices heard.”
“I WANT FREE WATER TO BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS IN ADDITION TO NUTRITION”
Another mother said:
* “Nutrition is the right of every child. In addition to nutrition, I want free water to be given to students. In addition, we all know that they do not want an educated generation. At least let the new generations grow up healthy. I don’t want my child to go from hospital to hospital looking for a cure for his problems in the future. We want what is necessary to be done. “Everything is for our children.”
“WE WET DRIED BREADS AND STARTED FEEDING THEM TO OUR CHILDREN”
A grandmother speaking about her grandson’s nutritional problem said:
* “Rents exceed the minimum wage. There are two children who are educating, but I cannot take care of one of my grandchildren when the time comes. I can’t feed. It doesn’t work like that. Hear our voice now. We couldn’t go to the markets. We soaked dry bread and started feeding it to our children.
* Forget cheese, we can’t find bread when it comes to time. Cheese has become a luxury for us, eggs have become a luxury for us. I couldn’t make winter food this year. I can’t go to the market. I feed my grandson with dry bread… Let them hear our voice now. “Enough, as a grandmother, I rebel.” (PHOENIX)
You May Be Interested InThe lunch box will cost 770 TL