All for a worthy cause
Some of the girls from the orphanage perform for guests.
When a group of women put their heads together to compile a cookbook to raise funds for the Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre for Destitute Girls at Njoro, little did they know that their efforts would win worldwide appreciation and acknowledgment.
Late last year, the Coordinator of the Orphan’s Centre and co-author of the cookbook, Sushi Shah received the surprising news that The Ultimate Collection, would be featuring in the Paris Cookbook Fair and that it had been nominated as the best cookbook from Kenya for the Gourmand Cookbook Awards.
A friend from Australia, who had volunteered to help market the book abroad, had entered the cookbook for possible consideration through the Fair website.
“The idea of writing a cookbook to generate funds for running of the Shah Vaghji Nangpar Children’s project had been fermenting ever since the opening of the orphanage in 1998,” says Sushi Shah, a veteran Lions Club leader.
“Following the fundraising events that helped create the finances required for the initial building of the home, there was an acute need for a more consistent source of money for the practical day-to-day running and management of the institution.
"The club members felt that other options of generating funds for the project should be explored rather than depending on fundraising events that could only be organised on an annual or bi-annual basis.”
Despite their busy schedules, Sushi Shah, Kumud Shah, Chandni Shah, Jayshree Shah, Kamini Shah, Nila Shah and Indu Patel worked together to create a recipe book that would have wide appeal.
After two years of painstaking compiling and necessary trials of recipes prior to sending the book to press, The Ultimate Collection was finally published in August 2007.
The cookbook, which features over 550 recipes that have been tried and tested to assure you get delicious results, features Indian, Oriental, Arabic dishes as well as popular European continental dishes that have been adapted into vegetarian recipes from soups, versatile cocktails and shakes to elaborate main dishes and desserts.
Recipes for popular Indian snacks, sweetmeats and biscuits ensure a comprehensive range of cooking options to experiment and savour.
Moreover, the user-friendly guide notes and extra tips as well as the visual quality of the cookbook made it an instant hit with the initial tide of cookbook lovers when sales began through members who had volunteered their services.
On February 10th 2010,Sushi Shah and Kumud Shah arrived in Paris to attend the world-renowned Bookfair as several hundred authors, publishers and chefs from all over the world thronged the French capital for the colourful four-day festivity.
The two women received complimentary tickets as representatives from Kenya to attend the illustrious pre-Fair Award Ceremony on the 11th February and were honoured to receive the Best in the World Award in the fundraising category on behalf of all the contributors who had worked together to bring the cookbook idea to fruition.
Funds from book-sales began to trickle in steadily and there is an ever-growing demand for the book. The book appeals to cooking fans from a wide range of cultures, and especially to lovers of Indian-style cooking.
What appeals to them is the easy-to-follow instructions and a clear explanation of the ingredients that may not be familiar to them.
Measuring tips, techniques, beautiful photography and a crisp glossary are other aspects that enhance the presentation.
Every year, the Paris Cookbook Fair brings together writers and lovers of food and wine in a robust celebration that is in fact a melting pot of humanity acting as a bridge to foreign cultures and cuisines.
This year, the fair was officially opened by Edouard Cointreau, the President of the Fair on the February 12th, and concluded on the 15th.
The Cookbook fair aims to help find a balance between publishers and authors, between the East and the West, trade and human relations and the role of tradition and modern elements in an open environment that respects every effort.
Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, Nila Shah, who caters on a part-time basis besides working as a school administrator, says, “It is very gratifying when your efforts succeed far beyond your expectations.
Through the acknowledgment that this award has brought the fundraising as the core reason for the creation of this book, we hope to bring more awareness to the plight of young orphan girls in Kenya and market the book throughout the world to continue helping the Njoro Home.
In a joint effort with Lions Club members from Europe, the Lions Club of Menengai bought a two-acre plot of land in Njoro area, about 15 km from Nakuru town in an attempt to facilitate the idea of starting a home for destitute girls.
The home was officially opened in 1998 and is managed by voluntary sisters from the Anand Marg Mission. This was a small but very significant overture to change the fate of abandoned girls who usually suffer from hunger, malnutrition and abuse and often turn to the street to survive.
The Njoro centre is more of a home than an institutionalised orphanage. Consistent funding through efforts of Lions club members has seen the construction of three solid housing blocks, offices, administrative offices, kitchen, stores and an activity hall.
A borehole was also sunk with international funding to provide water. The compound offers a peaceful and secure environment for nurturing up to 72 girls from the age of two until they become self-supporting.
“Currently, we are caring for 31 girls,” says the Centre Convenor, Indu Patel. “Constant use of all the facilities elicits the need for periodic renovation and replacements. Major renovations and paintwork were carried out about two years ago, and we are now due for another renovation.
The original fence around the compound is being replaced by a stone wall to ensure better security. The girls are all attending school at various levels and we hope to gradually take more girls from the environs into our fold.”
Daily running expenses are quite high, especially with the present state of the economy in the mind. Substantial sums of money are required to cater for food, education, medical expenses and maintenance of the resident staff.
“The public acclaim that The Ultimate Collection has won at the Paris Cookbook Fair is good news for these young girls,” says Indu Patel.
“As the book is distributed worldwide and sales grow, we hope to put plans for expansion into action and take in more destitute girls. We also hope to put up a permanent health clinic in future so that the community around the home can also benefit.
"Some of the first lot of girls finished secondary education last year and are now attending colleges in Nakuru – all funded by the sales of The Ultimate Collection.
"One girl passed with very high marks and has applied to Egerton University for a degree course. The funds generated in future will play a huge role in helping these young ladies realise their dreams.”
“For Kumud and I, receiving the Gourmand Award in Paris on behalf of all those people who helped to create the cookbook, was a most humble moment,” says Sushi Shah, “There is so much that can be done to elevate the lives and fates of abandoned young girls and it is very touching to see the gratitude in the children’s eyes.
It is a silent acknowledgment that the sale of every book is a contribution that goes a long way in making a difference in the lives of these little girls.”
