Gul Sarah prepares lunch for close to 300
kindergarteners. Photo by Courtney Gerard
When asked how the kitchen has changed
since the school first opened 30 years ago,
Sabohat said, “It hasn’t. It is exactly the same,
except everything is older.”
Sabohat started working in the kitchen
the year the school opened. Despite the
terrible conditions, she and the three other
high-spirited women show up for work every
morning at 7:00 a.m.
The first order of the day is breakfast.
Many children don’t receive breakfast at
home because their parents have to get to
work or their grandparents have to start the
daily chores. When the children are safely
settled in their classrooms around 9:00 a.m.,
breakfast is served.
Kash, a semolina porridge mixed with
milk, sugar, and butter, is frequently on
the menu. The children don’t like it very
much. They’re more enthusiastic about
sausage, eggs, or yogurt, but Sabohat feels
20 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE