| 99 “People with disabilities tend to be at the lower end of the socio economic scale and this impacts their diet.” T T Karen Phelps Transforming people’s lives Koha Kai is helping to transform the lives of people with disabilities to source, cook and have nutritious, wholesome food. Koha Kai COMMUNITY Charitable trust Koha Kai, which empowers people with disabilities in Murihiku (Southland) to lead truly independent lives, has just opened a new food bar. Called Tuck Inn and located at 25 Gala Street, Invercargill, it serves café style food cooked from scratch and barista coffee from 8am-2pm each day. People can additionally buy a range of chilled and frozen meals to take home. These can also be purchased online via a new affordable meals business delivered through partner company timata.nz People can order these via the website or app and they will be cooked, packaged and on their way to anywhere in the South Island the same day. Most vegetables are even sourced from Koha Kai’s own market garden. It’s all part of Koha Kai’s rapidly expanding offering as it seeks to transform the lives of people with disabilities to source, cook and have nutritious, wholesome food as well as providing a pathway to long-term sustainable employment. “We thought about what people need in order to strengthen and empower them to be independent and autonomous. The fundamental starting point is nutrition,” says Koha Kai founder Janice Lee. “People with disabilities tend to be at the lower end of the socio economic scale and this impacts their diet.” Janice says all the businesses work synergistically, providing learning opportunities for the students as well as generating income for the charitable trust to thrive. “We don’t fit any of the existing funding criteria for on-going funding so we have to generate our income so every part of this site has to earn its own way,” she says explaining the impetus for Tuck Inn and the chilled/frozen meal businesses. The businesses are part of Koha Kai’s integrated teaching programme, which is offered in three parts. Part one Ako Te Kaha (strength based learning) teaches people the skills they need to grow and cook their own food so they can be really resilient in the food space while at the same time learn life and social skills that enable them to be able to life independently and autonomously, says Janice. If they choose they can go onto part two called Ako Te Mahi (learn to work), which builds on employable skills. Part three – Ako Te Rangatira (leadership learning) further empowers students with skills such as how build a business plan, do accounting, banking, marketing etc. “We show students how to apply what they’re learning in a real life setting,” explains Janice. “It is about recognising peoples aspirations in the workplace. We have students who have started their own businesses such as gardening and making relishes and selling them at a farmers market.” Koha Kai incorporates many other facets: market gardening, corporate catering, a food truck, selling food into workplaces and an event centre to name but a few. Each has grown organically in response to the development of the organisation and to meet its overarching mandate. For example in order to teach people how to cook Koha Kai required a kitchen. This led to a partnership with low decile schools to fulfil this need. The koha became supplying school lunches. As another example a separate corporate arm to Koha Kai developed when the Ministry of Education launched its Ka Ora Ka Ako Lunches programme. Koha Kai applied and became a preferred supplier for the Murihiku region. Janice says such contracts provide the sustainable financial support needed for Koha Kai to thrive. The cost of cooking for schools has also led to yet another initiative as Koha Kai has established organic gardens in schools. Initially providing ingredients for school lunches, it has now extended to selling produce direct to the public. From the staff of 24 people around 38% have disabilities. “For some of these people there were expectations that they would never achieve anything. We help people to realise their true potential, build their confidence and inspire them to achieve goals they never thought possible, giving them a developmental pathway to get there. But we don’t want Koha Kai to be an end story for anyone. We want to empower them to move out into the world and be independent so they live with purpose. Everything we do is about creating equity in the community for people with disabilities.” Telepower are proud to support Koha Kai
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=