Cooking for homeless people with a Solidarity Project

I am co-founder of the Dutch Sikh Association, which was created to contribute to society, inspired by the core values of the Sikh faith. We wanted to create a platform where we could both express our identity and offer practical help to others. Through the foundation, I set up a Solidarity Project with four other young people, in which we cook weekly meals for homeless people in The Hague. We do with young people from different backgrounds.

My inspiration for setting up this project comes from the concept of “langar” within the Sikh faith: the tradition of offering free meals to everyone, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status or ethnicity, in the communal kitchen of a place of worship. This really ensures equality. The first Guru of the Sikh faith said that we should always think of others. In the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple in India, hundreds of thousands of meals are prepared every day, 24/7, by volunteers. We want to implement that concept here in our own way.

The grant from the European Solidarity Corps gave us the resources to further professionalize our volunteer work. We had previously provided meals to homeless people, but now we were able to work structurally and with a permanent team. This has increased our impact. We also received excellent guidance from the organisation. 

The Solidarity Project not only helps the homeless, it is also a valuable experience for young people. They see that their time can be put to good use when they help others, and that is rewarding.

Would I recommend others to start a Solidarity Project? Absolutely! Money is not the most important thing, but it does make life easier. With this grant you have the opportunity to make more of an impact.

Updated on kedd, 17/02/2026