Nearly 18.000 people are fed by 53 public kitchens in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) research.
From October 2022 to February 2023, UNDP conducted the first-ever mapping of the spatial distribution, capacity, number of users, and other important aspects of the operation of all soup kitchens in BiH, with the aim of developing specific recommendations for public policies and technical measures that contribute to reducing hunger in the country.
The conducted research showed that there are currently 53 organizations for the distribution of free meals in BiH, with 34 facilities located in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), 18 facilities in the Republika Srpska (RS), and one facility in the Brcko District of BiH. The largest number of facilities are managed by humanitarian/non-profit organizations in BiH.
The number of users increased by nearly 500 users in 2022 compared to 2021.
The most vulnerable categories of society among the users of soup kitchens are pensioners, the unemployed, single parents, people with developmental disabilities, and members of the Roma population. It is important to note that 70% of all kitchens in BiH provide services other than food distribution, and very good examples of social entrepreneurship organized around soup kitchen services have also been recorded.
It is significant that 50% of organizations consider that they do not have sufficient resources for work – equipment, and aids needed to perform their activities. The most common equipment cited by kitchens as insufficient are delivery vehicles, ovens and stoves, refrigerators, and kitchen appliances. UNDP responded to the basic needs of kitchens that indicated a lack of equipment and procured ovens, refrigerators, freezers, and other equipment for 19 public kitchens across the country, Klix.ba reports.
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