Friday marked the launch of a brilliant initiative aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing through the power of cooking. Hosted by Eva Mbiru, Founder of Kenyan Women in Hertfordshire, ‘Spiced in Watford – The Cooking Experience’ brought together women from diverse backgrounds to share their cooking skills and personal experiences in an inclusive environment.
The event is the first session of a series of cooking experiences, aiming to provide a safe space for individuals struggling with mental wellbeing to come together and share their stories. Regardless of cultural background, religion, or gender, guests come together to cook dishes from their respective countries. This course was launched due to the work Eva does in the community with families. This could have been due to loss of jobs, being unwell or loss of families. The twelve individuals do not know each other at the start, but will leave as friends. After six weeks, they will have won awards. Then another series will start to make sure everyone who wants to join is able to.
Following the event, Dean said, ‘Eva has worked so hard to organise such a wonderful course, which I know will go from strength to strength. Depression and mental health issues often lead individuals to withdraw from society, and this will really help so many people’.
Eva Mbiru said, ‘Strength lies in our ability to lift each other. The event is a launch of series of cooking experience where women from the community regardless of cultural background religion or gender struggling with mental well-being will bravely unite, and share their cooking skills and experiences of resilience, empathy, and hope to illuminate the path towards healing and making them feel worthy of being alife. This has come about because of the work I do in the community with families and realised that depression and mental health makes people withdraw and hide because of the stigma, shame they face’.
Please contact Eva on [email protected] for more information.
