Hi there & thanks for following the link to my first humanitarian campaign. I hope I get this right, and for now I'm going to tell you a little story about how I got to this point.  

As a child growing up in Barbados, I was always taken by Africa, and from a West Indian background, I was raised with others originating from North Western Africa such as Nigeria & Ghana. I later studied African politics & culture at university and quickly realised I would need to have my own experience first hand, and made a pledge to myself to get there one day.  Africa has featured in and out for most of my life at the most surprising of times.  From my grandad who served in Nigeria as a horseback policeman in the 1930s, to close friends from Zimbabwe and beyond, Africa has found a way into my life, pleading with me to make the time to come and say hello, to stay a while. Earlier this year and during a time of personal transformation, again Africa came to me, this time in the instant I was asked to 'dream big' at my first TEDx event. In that moment, my big dream was to be in Africa.  Only 2 weeks later, I got a call that would allow me to turn a lifelong curiosity into reality.  I was recommended to an educational project established by Hitchin based charity, Humanitas by 3 people over the course of a couple of days.  A quick phone call later, some info collected and personal accounts from close friends,  and I couldn't ask for anything more ideal for my first trip.  

A team of 10 volunteers, men and women just like me, will travel to a remote village outside the capital city of Accra to improve and add a much needed library to the village's primary school.   My dad and I often spoke of Africa and wanting to visit, what it must be like and how similar to our Barbados, but he never made it.  I'm hoping that I'll not only go for me, to lend a hand where it's most needed by investing in young peoples' education, but also for him. I'll be taking my dad with me. 

In the lead up to the trip, CookeryEatery will host a series of fundraising events & pop-ups throughout our community. We'd love for you to bring the family and join in.  Then before Christmas, we'll be sharing food learning opportunities with you and your children at all camps and clubs -- bringing back a picture of life in Ghana, the world’s second largest cocoa exporter.  Yes, chocolate!  Chocolate and coffee too.   Keep your eyes peeled for ways in which your family can get involved on our African journey.  As we know, #foodunitesusall !

I'd love to hear from you if you have visited Ghana, have any fav local foods I should try, would like to help in someway, or have any ideas you'd like to share about how we can contribute to this initiative. 

Many thanks for taking the time to read this and get involved. 
Em x

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