"The idea of Tohat El Kheir started after I realized that ita'm is no longer the traditional Maed'at Al Rahman (charity iftar meal table); there are now foundations that distribute food on the needy more professionally while maintaining their dignity,” said Abeer Mohamed, the founder of Noqoush.
Noqoush, a culinary academy providing professional cooking training, launched the charity initiative at the beginning of Ramadan.
“I thought of a way to use the skills and the facilities we have to help people in an efficient and organized way. We have qualified culinary arts graduates and experienced chefs keen and able to prepare high-quality meals. Then, we came up with the idea of opening our training kitchens during the holy month and turning it into a place for preparing meals for the needy," she added.
"Tohat El Kheir initiative is a practical example of developing acts of charity by using the available tools. We wish the idea opens the way for more institutions to be creative in the field of charity," Mohamed expressed.
"We target the needy and some of the families of the Children's Cancer Hospital since they mostly come from other faraway governorates and have no meals with them or even a place to eat," said Ahmed Mahdy, the head of the initiative.
So far, 60 volunteers, mostly youth, are working on the initiative and have prepared 200 meals.
Rasha Rashed, a volunteer chef in the initiative, said: "I was asked to join the initiative … I learnt how to prepare a lot of meals of good quality in the least time."
Rashed, a master's student at the Faculty of Education specializing in psychological guidance, cooks and packs meals.
Additionally, Abeer El Betar, a chef and owner of a catering business, said: "I was a follower of the academy's Facebook page, and I read about the initiative and decided to join it."
El Betar also prepares her own recipes on television shows.
"It is a very important initiative as Ramadan is all about charity … It is a good feeling that people (especially the poor) eat what you cooked for them with love and in good spirit," she added.
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