The congregation at St James Church, Horsforth have been collecting recipes during lockdown for a cookbook of family favourites, in aid of the Safe House in Mara, Tanzania.
Four members of St James Church travelled to Tanzania on the diocesan trip back in February to visit some of the projects funded by the Diocese of Leeds, one of which is the Safe House. After their visit Ruth Dent, from St James, decided to try and raise funds for this important work and the idea for a cookbook was born. The Lockdown imposed by COVID-19 gave Ruth the time to collect the recipes needed and with the help of others design and print ‘Making Meals for Mara’.
The Safe House was established in 2009 by an Anglican vicar in Musoma who took a young girl into his care to escape FGM. The practice of FGM is still carried out in Tanzania, despite being illegal since 2009. In a few tribal cultures, this act is seen as ‘purification’ before marriage and may lead to a larger wedding dowry.
The Safe House provides a refuge for girls fleeing from this practice, which is especially busy in the ‘cutting season’ of November and December in alternate years. 2020 is such a year.
The Safe House provides the following for the girls in its care:
- Food, shelter and a home
- Access to education
- Family reconciliation work
- Raised awareness of FGM in the communities which it serves
If you wish to help support the Safe House in Mara, the cookbooks are available from St James Woodside, Horsforth and cost £7.99.
To purchase one please send an email to office@stjameswoodside.org