"Kids in Kitchen", by Aspasia Provou

Aspasia’s initiative, called “Kids in the kitchen”, is all about helping kids build a solid perception of nutrition and a healthy relationship with food, nourishment and cooking. It is targeted at every schoolchild in Greece, as, according to evidence, obesity and type II diabetes do not discriminate against age, sex, or income level. She aspires to create tangible changes in the Greek society within the next few years. She has built a team of educators and scientists that designs educational programs (workshops, videos, interactive games, theatrical plays, informative and inspiring speeches, article writing etc.) targeting young children and their parents and teachers. She started out with her work during a time of extreme financial difficulties for herself and the broader society of which she is part. Despite difficulties, she persevered, and she’s only more committed and determined to her cause.

Surprising though as it may seem for a country whose traditional cuisine is at the heart of the Mediterranean diet, a country famous for the longevity of its island people, like those of Ikaria, Greece tops list of very disturbing indexes related with children obesity:

-       44% of Greek schoolboys and 38% of schoolgirls are overweight and obese, the highest rate in the world! (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development – OECD, 2014).

-       Almost 24% of 7-year-olds and 30.5% of 9-year-olds are obese; almost 49% of 7-year-olds and more than 57% of 9-year-olds are overweight (World Health Organization – WHO, 2014).

-       30% of children are already overweight or obese by age 8; the percentage grows to 50% if all children aged 7-12 are included (HYDRIA, 2015).

These trends have only been exacerbated by the financial crisis. Public funding for health and education has been cut drastically since 2009, leaving both systems with very limited resources to act on the problem. (OECD, Changes in Health Spending, 2015). Citizens therefore have little support in understanding and reacting to nutrition-based health problems. As a result, the population is challenged by cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndromes that feed one another. This epidemic is taking place at a time when Greek society is consumed by economic distress, which also leads to affordable, yet low quality and highly processed food choices.

When Aspasia started volunteering giving cooking and nutrition workshops to children 5 years ago, it was more in the form of a side activity born out of her personal passion to do the best for her own family's nutrition. But the more she worked with children, the more she found out about the impact of nutrition on their health, as well as the importance of having real hearty meals cooked at home. She therefore became more determined and committed to make a change in children’s lives. Her mission is to help them understand the multidimensional value about food and nutrition, so that they can grow up as physically, intellectually and emotionally healthy individuals.

The money collected from this campaign will be go straight into social work! Every penny will be devoted to the design and implementation of nutrition-educational programs, targeting every child in the country.

This is what “Kids in the Kitchen” is all about, and we ask you to support this dynamic endeavor!

Video credits

Direction: Areti Kontoyianni

Cameraman: Giorgos Papadopoulos

Make up: Georgia Filippa

Editing: Kostas Aspiotis

Script: Aspasia Provou

Photographs: Panic eye