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Azerbaijan

Hot meals for needy people in Azerbaijan

Twice a week, volunteers of Azerbaijan Red Crescent's local branch cook and deliver hot meals to needy elderly persons in Sabirabad. The motivations for this Meals on Wheels project are twofold. In the first place to target those people who are suffering from malnourishment. Furthermore, the face-to-face contact means care and compassion for these vulnerable people and is much appreciated by them.
In order to get food donations and funds for the project, the volunteers undertook various initiatives. They set up an information stand in a street leading to the market. They also handed out pamphlets advertising the project as well as the Red Cross/Crescent Movement's fundamental principles.

So far the volunteers deliver these meals to 25 persons but the aim is to reach more than 40. In future they would also like to use premises where people could come to have a free meal. The volunteers work hard on getting funds for the project and are currently expecting a vehicle sponsored by an oil company which will facilitate the delivery of the meals.

The programme is a special success story because the volunteers succeeded in implementing a project with very limited means.

=A91997 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies