West African migrants aren't used to eating leafy greens, mushrooms and other common American vegetables, so volunteers taught them how.
West Africa n migrants aren't used to eating leafy greens, mushrooms and other common American vegetables, so volunteers taught them how.The Aurora Migrant Response Network, a coalition of fifty nonprofits that has been handling the city's migrant response since October 2022, organized its first cooking class on Thursday, April 18, at the Dayton Day Labor Center to teach West Africa n migrants about the ingredients they'll find in the United States as well as a few simple recipes.
While Denver has seen about 41,000 migrants mostly from Venezuela arrive since December 2022, Aurora has been dealing with an influx of mostly French-speaking migrants from West Africa; they are largely from Mauritania along with a smaller number of migrants from Senegal and Mali. More than a dozen migrants attended the first cooking class on Thursday along with a handful of volunteers, mostly from nonprofits that are a part of the Aurora Migrant Response Network.
Chris Gattegno, the executive director of the Aurora Community Connections, happens to be a native of France. Throughout the cooking class, he was encouraging the migrants in French, saying cooking at home"is better than McDonald's" and that they have to learn English because"it opens doors."Cheikh Bombo Bothily, a migrant from Mali, adds ground beef to a soup that he's learning to prepare with other migrants.
"With all the food we bring in and distribute, we also noticed a lot of food was going to waste, or we would have a zucchini with a bite taken out of it," Kozlowski said."They didn't know what to do with the produce." Bothily said he left his home country because there is"war, the government is unstable, things are not going well. It's not easy."A Mauritanian migrant who asked only to go by Abdoul out of fear of being found on social media said that he left Mauritania out of fear of being killed because he's Black. He said that Black people are at risk of death or slavery in the country.
Although the term"migrants" refers to people immigrating to find work, the West Africans coming to Aurora since 2022 have been fleeing war, political instability and slavery. After the cooking class on Thursday, Abdoul felt"taken care of" because"they showed me how to cook as an example of taking care of myself."
Kouyate plans to host more cooking classes throughout the year, but she's still figuring out a schedule. In addition to teaching simple recipes with donated food, the cooking classes will focus on"having a free discussion with them" and"try to get to know each other, try to support them mentally because they're facing so many lack of resources, lack of healthcare access, legal assistance, housing assistance," according to Kouyate.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
'Women farmers are invisible': A West African project helps them claim their rights — and landWomen play a crucial but underappreciated role in West African farming
Les mer »
'Women farmers are invisible': A West African project helps them claim their rights — and landWomen play a crucial but underappreciated role in West African farming. One project in Senegal is inspiring them to overcome gender traditions that prevent them access to land. It's training women to sustainably feed their communities, adapt to climate change and boost rural development.
Les mer »
West African dance and hip-hop play a key role in a revamped Juilliard trackNPR's Michel Martin speaks with Alicia Graf Mack about how she's reshaping Juilliard's prestigious Dance Division to make it more relevant than ever.
Les mer »
West African dance and hip-hop play a key role in the revamped Juilliard trackNPR's Michel Martin speaks with Alicia Graf Mack about how she's reshaping Juilliard's prestigious Dance Division to make it more relevant than ever.
Les mer »
West African dance and hip-hop play a key role in the revamped Juilliard trackNPR's Michel Martin speaks with Alicia Graf Mack about how she's reshaping Juilliard's prestigious Dance Division to make it more relevant than ever.
Les mer »
The West African Sahel is becoming a drug smuggling corridor, UN warns, as seizures skyrocketA UN report says drug seizures have soared in the West African Sahel region in recent years, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential hotspot for trafficking.
Les mer »