Sharing Recipes with Other Communities | Ideas for Action

Leontine Sinda, an idealist and humanitarian from Cameroon, and two fellow volunteers traveled to Bamenda to teach young people to make gari, a tasty fermented dish made from ground cassava root used in a variety of ways across West Africa.

Also called "fufu" in Nigeria, gari is used in West-African countries like Ghana and Sierra Leone. It is easy to make and requires very little cooking after preparation. Gari can be mixed with cold water for a snack; it can be eaten with some sugar or salt; it can even be combined with evaporated milk. Gari can also be a substitute for rice or couscous as a side dish.

For Leontine, the idea behind teaching young people how to make gari is for them to bring the food back to their community. Through it, they can feed their families and discover opportunities for commerce. "When there is no school," she says, "these juniors make gari to sell at their local village market."

As a humanitarian and community activist, Leontine's mission is to unite the peoples of Cameroon and beyond in peace, and she sees potential in these two young men. "The empowerment of juniors," she says, "is a powerful tool for the development of a bright future."

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