Mr. & Mrs. Satwinder, The Co-founders of Dignity For Children Foundation.
This is a journey of a fostering couple with a dream to eradicate social ills around them and give back to their community in the most wonderful way. They embarked on this journey all the way back in 1998. It began by setting up a church in Sentul, a neighbourhood located in the northern part of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The area was heavily plagued with various social ills. Major problems like urban poverty, drug addiction and even gangsterism were a part of this community. But the world never falls short on people who dream with sheer hope, and their resilience results in something fruitful for the coming generations.
A passion to serve is how it all began
Mr Elisha Satwinder and his wife Petrina Shee are the Co-founders of Dignity for Children’s Foundation. The concept of Dignity was born after realising that the solution to a number of ills in the community is education. In order to eliminate its impact on the local people, quality education for children should be provided. Since then, there was no looking back for the power couple.
All their handwork and effort were invested into finding better solutions to foster and educate the children coming from local urban poor communities. Eventually, as the ideas grew and the concepts started coming to life, the vocational classes began in 2014. It was not long after the initiative of Eat X Dignity was introduced.
A cafe run by the students under the provision of professionals who teach them the art of cooking, baking and serving to their customers with excellence and love.
“With the whole component of enterprise, the business part of it really gets the kids to keep learning the skills differently. A lot of the characteristics, as in what makes you employable for the future are flexibility and adaptability. When can you teach them that in a classroom? When you are teaching them English or Math, you don’t really teach them flexibility and adaptability. But when we take them away from the unfamiliar, then they learn”, Petrina said.
Photo Courtesy: @eatxdignitykl on Facebook
A cafe run by the students under the provision of professionals who teach them the art of cooking, baking and serving to their customers with excellence and love.
It is an opportunity for them to observe, adapt and grow along with understanding how a business operates. Dignity is not only running a cafe, it is also raising talented individuals who are destined to become future chefs, baristas, waiters, business managers and much more.
Now that we have understood the inspiring idea behind the existence of Eat X Dignity. Let’s talk about food!
The cafe has several scrumptious meals on their menu. From local dishes to Western and fusion foods, they have it all. Salad-based options are also available for the ones who believe in eating clean. The cafe is well known for their freshly brewed coffee which goes perfectly well with their signature Brownies.
Here are a few dishes available on the menu of Eat X Dignity Cafe:
Thai Green Curry Pasta
An all time favourite dish made with fresh herbs from Dignity’s InGrown organic garden.
Picture Courtesy: @eatxdignitykl on Instagram
Nasi Dagang
A delicious fusion of fragrant white and red rice steamed in coconut milk along with a whole chicken leg. Sauces, pickles and vegetables make it even better!
Picture Courtesy: @eatxdignitykl on Instagram
Sentul Syok Fried Chicken + Fries
To spice up the menu, here’s their very own scrumptious Fried Chicken served along with fries.
Picture Courtesy: @eatxdignitykl on Instagram
Mentioned above were a few highlights from their menu. It is loaded with a variety of more unique and fusion-based dishes.
More dishes were added to the menu when Eat X Dignity announced their #EatForMyanmar Campaign to support a few families affected by the military takeover of the government resulting in the Civil Disobedience Movement. It took place in the month of April 2021. The idea was conceptualized and raised by a Dignity alumni, Jasmine.
Picture Courtesy: @eatxdignitykl on Instagram
“We were able to raise RM 4000 in 3 weeks”, Jasmine said.
The campaign gained great traction on social media and was shared widely. This is what Eat X Dignity is about. Student-led ideas, student led-products and student-led implementations of these great ideas.
However, as Malaysia undergoes another lockdown, the Cafe continues to serve its customers through online deliveries. Even in the most challenging times such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the founders, staff members and their entire team have vowed not to give up. It is all because of the unwavering passion of the co-founders. They strongly believe in uplifting one another and not giving up on dreams.
For anyone inspired by the achievements of the founders and is looking for a piece of advice, here is a little something you would find useful throughout your journey:
“Find mentors who will do things together with you. Allow yourself to explore, and if you give yourself the time to explore, when you look back, you’ll be amazed at how the dots connect” – Petrina Shee, Co-founder & CEO of Dignity For Children Foundation.
Eat X Dignity has been proudly inspiring and empowering youth and will continue to do so along with serving meals to anyone who is willing to join the cause.
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