Home Grown Hope

Home Grown Hope is an evening of live cookery inspired by stories of hope from Christian Aid's urban farming projects transforming communities in Nairobi.

You’ll be welcomed with a glass of Kenyan fruit punch and nibbles. Through the evening, you’ll have the opportunity to sample a range of traditional Kenyan dishes, cooked live by local chef, Mollie Cunningham, using ingredients freshly harvested from her farm in the rolling hills of Co. Down.

From chapattis, made with Kenyan honey, to a wholesome beef stew, you'll be treated to great food and great stories of hope and growth from urban-farming projects that are transforming lives and bringing freedom from poverty to families in Nairobi.

At the end of the evening, you’ll receive a Home Grown Hope recipe card so you can bring a taste of Kenya home with you.

In November 2024, a team from Christian Aid Ireland and Northern Irish chef, Mollie Cunningham, travelled to Nairobi, Kenya to visit urban farming projects established by local faith-based partner, Beacon of Hope. Through Beacon of Hope, women are being trained in climate-adaptive farming techniques to help ensure they have enough food to both feed their families and sell for income. These projects are having a real impact on the lives of people living in a densely packed, impoverished community where hunger and domestic violence are significant challenges.

You'll hear the stories of some of the amazing the women involved with the farming projects and the transformation they've experienced thanks to Beacon of Hope. You'll also get to experience Mollie's delicious versions of Kenyan classics taught to her by the women she met in Nairobi, and hear her views on how good food, sustainably grown, builds connections and benefits the whole community.

Featuring a mix of live cookery demonstrations and tastings, stories of hope and faith in the face of poverty and injustice - this will be an evening of nourishment for your stomach and encouragement for your faith!