Nanma Connect: Turning Leftovers Kanji into Lifelines for the Hungry ( Community Kitchen Project)

 

Nanma Connect 

"It was a simple, ordinary moment. I recently started the habit of taking hot rice water — kanji — something which used to be common in South India. As I sipped it, feeling the warmth and mild starch settle in my stomach, a thought struck me.

This nourishing drink, full of energy and comfort, is something thousands of households in cities like Trivandrum throw away every day — down the drain, without a second thought. ( same in our households till last week when I started to drink it)

And that’s when it hit me. What if this ‘waste’ could become a life-giving meal for someone who doesn’t know where their next food is coming from? What if we could connect kitchens, communities, and compassion through one forgotten resource — kanji?

That moment became the seed of an idea — a voluntary food-sharing project where households contribute their leftover rice water, which is then collected, tracked through an app, and distributed to people in need at clean, community spaces in busy public areas. A simple system, built on empathy and structure, that could turn everyday waste into daily sustenance.

📍 1. Mission Statement

Transform the discarded rice water (kanji vellam) into a community-fed energy supplement for undernourished and low-income individuals, through a volunteer-driven collection and distribution system.

 2. Core Components

• Household Participation
• Households sign up voluntarily to donate rice water.
• Each family is required to purchase a standard stainless-steel thermal container for hygienic collection.

• Collection Volunteers
• Volunteers from the locality are assigned specific routes.
• They collect the hot kanji in insulated carriers and update status via the app.

Mobile App & Tracking Portal

A simple app is developed with three user roles:

• Donors (households)
• Collectors (volunteers)
• Distributors/Admins

Real-time tracking of collection, storage, and distribution.

App will also show donor households, pickup status, and distribution centers.

Distribution Centers ("NAMA Kendrams")

• Clean, open-air, shaded, garden-style community spaces.
• Each center has chairs, handwash stations, clean toilets, and a koi fish tank for aesthetic comfort.
• Locations: High footfall areas like Trivandrum Medical College, East Fort, KSRTC Bus Stand.

Food Menu & Service

• Main offering: Free or token-based rice + sambar/egg/dal meal (rotating menu).
• Rice water is served as an energy drink, optionally with salt, curry leaves, or jeera.

Weekly Pilot Operations

• Operates 5 days a week (Monday–Friday).
• Saturdays reserved for volunteer meetings, feedback, and SOP refinement.

Nutrition Value of Rice Water

• Rich in starch, B-complex vitamins, and simple carbs — a low-cost energy drink.
• Helps hydrate, energize, and soothe digestive issues — valuable for the elderly, daily wage workers, and undernourished people.
• Can be enhanced with ginger, cumin, or salt for better taste and digestion.

Volunteer Structure

• Core volunteers manage: tech, route management, food hygiene, and community outreach.
• Retired teachers, nurses, ex-govt workers, homemakers encouraged to join.
• Local architects can help design the space.

Fundraising & Transparency

• Donations collected via the portal (individuals, expats, businesses).
• Live reporting of daily collection, meals served, volunteer hours contributed.
• Display “Today’s Meal” at each distribution point with funding details (like Indira Canteen).
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Guidelines for food hygiene, container use, volunteer duties, app use, and meal distribution.
• Emergency protocols and weekly quality checks.

 3. Pilot Launch Plan

• Target Locality: One ward/area in Trivandrum with high density of housing.
• Start with 30–50 households donating kanji.
• Serve one location (e.g., near Medical College or Uloor).

Measure:

• Quantity collected
• People fed
• Volunteer time
• Feedback from recipients and donors

 4. Growth Potential

• Can expand across cities like Kochi, Madurai, Coimbatore, etc.
• Potential for including boiled rice, leftover safe food from events.
• Tie up with Indira Canteen-like setups for partial funding or infrastructure support.
• Local colleges or NSS units can integrate student volunteering.

 5. Why It Matters

• Reduces food waste at the household level.
• Restores dignity by offering food in clean, peaceful settings.
• Builds community trust and participation.
• Fills a gap for those who aren’t starving, but skip meals due to cost or access.