Nation Station: For The People by The People - What’s next?

Albert Geokgeuzian, Staff Writer

August 16th, 2021

Last time we discussed about Nation Station’s story; this time, we’ll discuss what they have done and plan to do in the future. When it comes to projects, the people who work at Nation Station have a singular mindset: if the project idea is good and seems feasible then you are encouraged to work on it. That is the basis of nearly all of Nation Station’s projects.

As of this writing, there is one massive project that is underway at Nation Station and that is to turn the carwash-turned-kitchen into the centerpiece of a profitable business. The restaurant at Nation Station will open in September, according to current plans. The goal of the project isn’t to fill the pockets of Nation Station, but rather to keep its meal service afloat.

With every passing month since August 2020, the donations to Nation Station have dwindled; relying on these donations is no longer sustainable, and this restaurant is meant to alleviate some of the pressure on donations to ensure meals continue to be delivered. They have been practicing for the restaurant as well, with their Apperetivo. Every two weeks, Nation Station hosts a dinner at the gas station, with a different theme each time. The Aperetivo's earnings are used to supplement the meal delivery service provided by Nation Station three times per week; the restaurant will serve the same purpose but on a more regular basis. The revenue streams also help Nation Station in their other projects.

Nation Station, in case you didn't know, not only helps with food distribution, but they also help with the community’s health. Nation Station, in collaboration with Mediterranean Hope, has opened up a clinic in which they provide assistance to the people of Geitawi, including medical assistance, physical assistance, and psychological counseling.

In fact, when I was talking to the women who head the clinic, I was in awe when I learned how the psychosocial program came to light. It's also amazing how the psychosocial program got started. 

Nation Station has been conducting workshops for quite some time; these workshops are frequently educational in nature, with the goal of empowering the beneficiaries. In fact, one such workshop was about insulin and what misconceptions there are regarding the disease. There was an individual who thought they were being mindful of their diabetes by not consuming any sugar, but they still had high blood pressure and they couldn’t figure out why. Nation Station visited this individual’s home and discovered that they were regularly consuming sodas and cheesecakes without realizing that those include sugar as well. The individual assumed that when their doctor said they needed to limit their sugar intake, they only meant powdered sugar. What this individual lacked was the education necessary to help themselves.

As a result of this individual’s story, Nation Station held an insulin workshop in which they educated their beneficiaries on the disease and how to manage it, and they empowered their beneficiaries with the knowledge of how to better care for themselves.

These workshops spurred what I found was an amazing psychosocial program. With the workshops moving forward, Nation Station regularly asked for feedback from the beneficiaries, what they wanted, what they’re thoughts were and so on. In one such instance, the beneficiaries asked for a workshop on mental health. If you're anything like me, you're astounded, as I was when I first learned this. The most amazing aspect of this was the fact that the beneficiaries who had asked for a workshop on mental health were over the age of 35.

Nation Station has built a trust so strong within the Geitawi community that their beneficiaries felt comfortable asking for something that, for so long, had been a taboo. After learning that there was a part of the community who wanted psychological help, there was an individual who suggested making a program out of it rather than just a workshop. This individual worked tirelessly to ensure that the beneficiaries received the utmost quality of the standard of care. They interviewed multiple psychologists to ensure that those who were offering their time were doing so for the right reasons. The hard work put in is what has made the psychosocial program so impactful.

The success of the psychosocial program cannot be understated, they went from having around 10 people involved in the program to now having over 35 people involved with amazing success and even better reviews. The word of mouth has led to people now seeking out Nation Station for psychological help rather than Nation Station having to go after them because now, the community is understanding how important mental health actually is.

The medical clinic is also working hard to reduce the stigma associated with sexual health. They are organizing sexual health workshops for all ages, not just youth. The workshops will also cover menopause and its potential side effects, as well as how one should go about if they’re sexually active.

The most interesting and necessary project that Nation Station is working on is the establishment of a women's center. I have constantly heard this idea being discussed within Nation Station, wanting to work towards empowering women more and more. A center dedicated to women, whether that’s for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, education, and so on, would be invaluable for everyone.

During my visits to Nation Station, I was truly amazed at the work that the people there have done and plan to do in the future; if you ever get a chance to visit them or maybe go to their aperitivo, you would not only be supporting them, but you would also be supporting everyone that Nation Station helps.