Delhi University students help Afghan refugees make edible' cutlery

New Delhi: With an aim to provide an environment-friendly alternative to the plastic menace, a group of Delhi University students have given an edible makeover to the concept of cutlery, made by the Afghan women refugees in the national capital.

The “Enactus” group of Kirori Mal College (KMC) has collaborated with the Afghan community living in the Bhogal district in order to give them an alternate source of income and livelihood under their project, Patradya. After the students developed a recipe to manufacture edible bowls, they taught the Afghan women the technique of making edible utensils, mainly bowls. The training was a 3-tier programme that involved workshops on sanitation and hygiene, baking classes, and lastly, sessions on the importance of this project.

Apart from skills training, KMC Enactus also taught them about the marketing and business side. They even taught them how to sell the bowls.

The recipe, which includes a combination of ingredients like wheat, ragi, and millet, has been finalised after consulting dieticians and nutritionists. “The edible bowls not just help with the nutritional requirements, but also help reduce the dependability on plastic. These bowls are packaged within two layers, and every box has a label that clearly lists the ingredients used so that the consumers know what they are eating,” said one of the team members.

Notably, project Patradya has been certified by FSSAI to corroborate the product’s quality.

“Proper emphasis was laid on popularising our unique product among respective clients that included cafes and restaurants concentrated in North Campus. Even free samples were distributed to check our product’s feasibility and I must say, the positive feedback was of immense help to us,” the member added.

The team further plans to improve their product by incorporating more flavours and increasing the nutritive value as well.