Vera who runs the family activities and is one of our local NGO partner (NGO Core Health and Wealth International) under the MMH umbrella has organized a cooking competition among the farmer women. It has been definitely a highlight and a big joy to all!

The women are part of the communities in Bungoma County in Western Kenny where in the past months we have run – together with our local partners – a lot of activities. The activities have comprised a lot of income generating activities, health and hygiene training sessions, soap production as well as a parent center program and plant nurseries. Also the men have been involved and the number of participants had grown significantly. The willingness to learn is high and the learning curve is obvious. But most of all it is the trust and the community sense that makes the change happen and has motivated many community members to participate and to empower themselves and others.

The cooking competition attracted a lot of the farmer women

“One of the goals we wanted to achieve with this competition,“ says Vera, “was to revaluate the nutrious traditional food, to increase the desire to encourage the women to cook good food, not just Fast Food or Western Stylish dishes. It was a celebration of our traditions and about sharing the different varieties on how our mothers and grandmothers cooked.” In addition, the competition included also a training on the maintenance of micronutrients in food.

The task was to prepare local dishes such as indigenous vegetables, tubers (cassava, arrow roots, sweet potatoes), ground nuts, sesame seeds… and to prepare them in traditional ways.

Many women brought the ingredients like milk in traditional local gourds. And water in local pots.

Even while serving the finished products the women used local materials. The cooked meals were shared with all.

A celebration full of colors, memories and very delicious plates that raised also awareness about a healthier way of cooking!