A better kitchen for St Joseph’s
Thu, 9 December 2010
The kitchen at St Joseph’s Home in Philippi, outside Cape Town, was in urgent need of an upgrade. Some of the older fittings were no longer compliant with Department of Health requirements. Through this SASIX-funded project, the home was able to upgrade some the kitchen by installing some modern stainless steel fittings. This will provide a more hygienic and safer environment to prepare food for the children.
The project began in March 2010 and was completed in June 2010
Activities and Outcomes
As discussed in the previous report, the installation of the stove canopy necessitated an unforeseen re-arrangement of the work surfaces in the kitchen. This caused a delay in the second part of the project, which was the installation of the drip trays. All work on the kitchen has now been completed.
The home estimates that these new fittings will last for at least 20 years. The head chef at the home has indicated her satisfaction with the upgrade, and has also indicated that the new space has improved the work-flow in the kitchen. The kitchen is now fully compliant with Department of Health standards.
Expenditure
The total budget for this project is R61,482 and has been paid in full.
| Description | Budget | Expenditure | Over/Under |
| Canopy | 28 805 | 28 805 | 0 |
| Work tops | 24 570 | 13 974 | 10 956 |
| Drip tray | 557 | 1 114 | -557 |
| Electrical work related to canopy installation | 0 | 13 840 | -13 840 |
| Sub-total | 53 932 | 57 733 | -3 801 |
| VAT | 7 550 | 8 081 | -531 |
| TOTAL | 61 482 | 65 814 | -4 332 |
Challenges
The installation of the canopy meant that the layout of the kitchen had to change in ways that had not been anticipated. The dimensions of the work surfaces have changed, and a new quote had to be secured. An unexpected benefit of this was that they were able to organise the kitchen so that it better suits the kitchen staff
The Home was also not aware of the poor condition of the electrical wiring in the kitchen, which resulted in an unanticipated cost. Fortunately, as a result of the better design for the equipment, they were able to reduce the cost of the tables and redirect the saving to pay for electrical work.
Monitoring and evaluation
The Director of the Home, the Fiscal Director and the Maintenance Manager reviewed the work and approved the payment.
The Home worked closely with the Department of Health to make sure the work performed was in line with their recommendations. The Department inspected the Home in June 2010 and the new fittings passed the inspection.
Conclusions
The children at St Joseph’s Home all suffer from chronic diseases, and are often more vulnerable to infection than healthy children. It is thus of vital importance that the Home can provide a healthy, hygienic environment that complies with government standards.
The upgrade of basic facilities funded through SASIX has led to a safer, more hygienic environment for the 145 children resident at St Joseph’s Home. The new fittings will last the home for many years, and will thus serve future generations of children as well.
