Program Coordinator Kathleen Lokale at the Virginia Tech Women's Center couldn't have been more pleased with the response to IWiN's Kenyan Lunch event, which took place yesterday.
"The Kenyan Lunch event had a very successful turnout of about 115 people," Lokale said. "We ended up running out of food."
International Women in Need is a non-profit student organization that strives to alert the Virginia Tech community about ethnic crises internationally. The Kenyan Lunch put on by IWiN between College Avenue and Draper Road presented authentic Kenyan food and raised donations and support for the Corn Mill for Kenya Project.
The Corn Mill for Kenya Project hopes to raise awareness of Kenyan lifestyle, but primarily to raise money to provide power mills to women in Kenya to create ugali, which is finely ground corn similar to grits.
These coordinated efforts attempt to free women from the drudgery of grinding corn, giving them more time with their families and simultaneously provide income, quality of life, and increase self-reliance.
The menu included rice, collards, cabbage, lentils, somosas and chai tea, which strived to resemble authentic Kenyan cuisine.
"We're celebrating international week and our menu consisted of a vegetarian celebratory cuisine like 'naan' bread, which is always served during such celebratory occasions," Lokale said. "People really enjoyed the chai tea."
Donations are sent to the Koriko Moyie Women's Group, which began in Ngeta Village in 2004 and officially registered with the government in 2006. This self-help organization was formed to improve life for women and families in the community. There are currently 25 members, most 65 or older, who are actively working on grassroots outreach initiatives to generate income and educate the community.
"We really wanted to empower women to positively contribute to their community," Lokale said. "Power mills are desperately needed in these communities, and they enable women to start their own business and give back. Many women in these groups are in their 50s with their villages hit so hard by HIV, they need the income."
IWiN has also completed projects in Sudan and Mexico. As the students at Tech seek international outreach to empower women, they formulated IWiN with the Women's Center on board. The organization has worked with non-profits in countries that are specifically tailored to helping women. Although IWiN has previously worked with non-profits, the recent Kenya project involved working directly with women from Kenya.
"This is the first time IWiN is doing a grassroots project and working directly with the community," Lokale said. "While we usually coordinate our efforts with non-profits, we're working directly with the women - including a woman that is directly part of the community we're trying to help and getting her PhD here at Virginia Tech."
The Women's Center's mission is to promote a Tech community that is safe, equitable, and supportive for women and that celebrates their experiences, achievements and diversity. IWiN was started by students who approached the Women's Center. With their support, IWiN can address community needs.
"IWiN is completely student run," Lokale said. "At the Women's Center, we provide volunteer teams and leaders that cater to different student organizations that hope to address a need."
IWiN has recently thrown two big events, the Kenyan lunch and the International Street Fair. IWiN has conducted African benefit dinners, sold African fabric buttons or candy corn, exemplifying educational and fundraising aspects in their projects. IWiN also has awareness presentations around campus, including showcases at Gillie's of different women from Kenya.
With meetings every other Thursday, the agenda is limitless, bringing in speakers and developing educational presentations.
However, there is a strong correlation between this organization's success and the community support.
"We've had the luxury of having an open and willing Kenyan community," Lokale said.