LUWEMBA
It was a day of smiles, full plates and shared love at Entebbe Children’s Welfare Primary School as renowned chef Haruna Magala, chose to mark International Chefs Day not in a five-star hotel, but with less privileged children.
The celebration, held on Tuesday, 20th October, saw Magala, who is the Director of Ginnello’s Pizzeria Entebbe and the National Coordinator of the Uganda Professional Chefs Union (UPCU), host a lavish buffet for nearly 170 learners living with disabilities.
Magala said 20th October, which is marked globally as International Chefs Day, has always been personal to him, but this year he wanted to make it more meaningful.
“Every 20th of October is International Chefs Day. I have always been celebrating it the way I feel like. This time around, I’m celebrating it with the kids with disabilities. Those are the less privileged children of Entebbe Children’s Welfare,” Magala said.
According to him, the decision was driven by the painful reality that many children with disabilities are hidden away at home because parents see them as a burden.
“Someone, somewhere, has that child, but either he’s keeping him or her at home just because he feels like it’s a burden. Others are at least opting to put a pet on the co-driver seat rather than putting these children. They decide to leave them at home,” he said.
This year’s global theme resonated deeply with him: “Every child deserves a seat on that table.”
“Where the DEO is dining, where the professional chefs are dining, where those chefs that we see in those big hotels are dining, that’s the same place where these children are also going to dine,” Magala said.
In an emotional moment, Magala revealed that he is also a parent of a child with special needs.
“I’m also a victim of this situation where I’m a parent who, by God’s grace, happened to get a child with Down syndrome, and she has even been diagnosed with a hole in the heart. But I didn’t walk away as a parent, as a father. And I know many fathers, when they got those children, they decided to walk away. Me, I didn’t walk away,” he said.
He clarified that the initiative was not for seeking help for his own child, but born out of empathy.
“If I see someone smiling, I always want to be the reason that someone smiles. I look at almost 170 children that are happy because of me. Because of the people I’ve worked with,” he said.
Magala noted that some of his fellow chefs had questioned his choice of venue, while others boycotted, but he was determined to follow his heart.
“This has not just started today. In previous years, I celebrated with all the senior citizens. I called over 100 senior citizens who came to Ginnellos, and we dined together. It is not ending today either. I’ll keep on doing it, as long as it makes my heart happy,” he added.
A Full Buffet, Free of Charge
For the children, it was a rare taste of luxury. Magala set up a full buffet with everything served in fancy hotels.
“We have almost everything that you buy expensive in those fancy hotels. We have the fruit side, the juice, the ice cream, the pizza. Almost everything, and I thought it was enough for these children. It is free of charge. I’ve paid for everything,” he explained.
“Maybe next year I may do it better than this year.”
School Cries Out for Support
The Headteacher of Entebbe Children’s Welfare Primary School, Fred Damba, thanked the chefs for remembering children who are often forgotten.
“We thank the chefs for thinking about us, who are special, who are unique in nature and of all schools, they thought of us,” Damba said.
He explained that the school, a government-aided institution, accommodates all categories of learners, those who are financially constrained and those with special needs, including the lame, the deaf and those with other challenges.Despite its inclusive mission, the school faces numerous challenges.
“Among them is feeding. These children need a balanced diet. They need wheelchairs. They need better bedding. They need better structures. We have those which are better, but we still need more,” Damba said.
“As of now, we still have the challenge of lacking a purifier. We need clean water. And it is very expensive to provide clean water. We must boil it either using electricity or firewood.”
He also cited incomplete fencing, noting only a quarter of the school is fenced, posing a security risk to vulnerable learners. He appealed to well-wishers, companies and government to come to their aid.
Entebbe Municipality Pledges Support
The Guest of Honour, Mariam Nabukeera, the Secretary for Health and Education at Entebbe Municipal Council, congratulated Chef Magala and the entire Ginnello family for the noble initiative.
“When you came to me as your partner, I did not hesitate because your thought spoke directly to my heart and my docket. Every child deserves a seat at the table,” Nabukeera said.
“As the Secretary for Education and Health, this theme is my daily work. In education, we teach our children that they all have a right to learn, but how can a child learn when they are hungry? In health, we teach our families about good nutrition, but how can we talk about nutrition when our children have no food at all?”
“Today, you have answered both questions. You have not cooked food; you have cooked hope. You have shown those children that they are seen, they are valued, and they belong,” she added.
Nabukeera said the collaboration is a perfect example of what the municipality wants, where government, private sector and community work together.
“Government alone cannot do it. We need the private sector. We need community organisations like Ginnellos. We need our professional chefs. And we need kind-hearted Ugandans who contributed to make a child smile,” she said.
She thanked partners including Chef Peter Baluka, Chef Michael, Chef Ben, the Rotaract Club of Kabalagala, UPCU, and King’s Chicken Ware.
“To our children, enjoy today. Eat well, smile, and remember this seat we have given you at the table today. You must keep it through education. Stay in school, work hard, and one day you will also give another child a seat at the table.”
In a side interview, Nabukeera revealed that the council is working to address the school’s challenges. She noted that the school will this year host its own PLE centre for 25 candidates under UNEB, a milestone fought for by the Education Department.
On fencing, she said the current half-fence is progress from no fence at all, and the council plans to complete it. She also referenced the Presidential CEO Run initiated by the Mayor of Entebbe, Fabrice Brad Rulinda, which was aimed at raising funds for solar power for the school, wheelchairs and other equipment.
“When electricity goes out, these children go wild because they are used to light. So we are planning that money was also going to go to wheelchairs and other equipment,” she explained, calling upon more donors to support the government school.
Parents who attended the celebration were full of appreciation for the gesture, which brought joy and dignity to their children.
