Oranges Now a Treat for School Children in Argentina

Romina is a typical 11 year-old girl – she loves the color purple, dancing, enjoys assembling beaded necklaces and has two best friends. She also loves eating oranges and pizza with tomato sauce but no cheese. Romina's enthusiasm fades though once she is inside her three-room house lent to her family by relatives, which has peeling paint on the walls and is located in the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires.

"If Dad gets to do an odd job, Mom asks him for the money he earned so as to buy food. But Dad says he has given her all the money. She says she needs more… I don't know why I cry so often lately," said Romina, looking straight ahead with her deep dark eyes.

Until the Meitiv School Lunch program was launched in the Argentine Jewish Day schools, to provide lunch for children whose families are living under difficult economic situations, an orange or a slice of pizza were scarce products for children like Romina. Since the start of the program in 2002 – supported by JDC and the AMIA Jewish central institution partnership – Romina is one of the 1,106 children throughout Argentina who receives food every day at school. The Meitiv program provides funding for the meals to the schools and the food distributors. The schools do not publicize which children are enrolled in the program, therefore there is no stigma when it is time for lunch. This means that Romina can sit next to her two best friends and share a healthy and varied menu.

David, Romina's father, is an electrician and an expert in securities and alarm systems. Currently there is very little demand for his work. Berta, Romina's mother, sells clothes at public forums, often on an irregular basis.

The family fondly recalls attending clubs, movies and pizzerias. "Although we always had to struggle for a worthy living, we faced that battle with dignity. Only in recent years has it became nearly impossible," said David.

Romina and her two older sisters receive a full scholarship at Jewish schools, where they stay mornings and afternoons. The three attend different schools located in distant neighborhoods. Good grades, together with low-income living conditions make the girls appropriate candidates for the scholarships.

Through JDC's welfare system, the family is getting a food support of $80 a month and free medication for Romina's asthma. Thanks to the help of her grandmother Bubbe Frida, the family receives coats for winter and cakes for birthdays.

But in the past years –within a deepened country crisis- the family has been struggling to survive, and even the assistance received has not been enough. "You know, I am not talking about filling the belly. Berta and I were concerned about the food quality our girls were getting," David said, hardly controlling his hidden nerves and anguish.

"It is impossible to tell the relief and gratitude David and I feel because the girls get their most important meal at school. We know it is a balanced meal and checked by the medical department. They receive a salad, a main dish and a dessert. They can get chicken, fish and certain meat cuts we are unable to provide," said Berta.

In Hebrew, Meitiv means to improve.

Romina is also enthusiastic: "I have friends whose families are also going through hard times. But we all share lunch. And do you know something? Many times, the dessert is an orange," said Romina with a large smile.