Share: the cookbook from women in war-torn countries

Food that makes us feel at home, food to share and celebrate, food to sustain and nourish, food prepared in spite of war – food to celebrate our common humanity.  Next week, Women for Women International is launching “Share”, a cookbook that covers all of the above.  The book, edited by Alison Oakervee with the foreword by Meryl Streep, is a collection of recipes and stories from women living in war-torn countries in which Women for Women International (WFWI) work.

Women for Women International is an international charity founded by Zainab Salbi in 1993. Dedicated to working with survivors of conflict, the charity's core belief is that stronger women build stronger nations and that with adequate access to information and resources, socially excluded women can lead change toward stable societies.  WfWI supports women with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance in Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan.

The uplifting book also has recipes from renowned international chefs such as Alice Waters, Maggie Beer, Rene Redzepi and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and humanitarians such as Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Christine Amanpour, Desmond Tutu, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench, Richard Branson, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney and Mia Farrow. Illustrated with stunning photography of the countries as well as the food, the book features  everyday dishes, family meals, and recipes perfect for sharing and celebrating. They range from traditional Afghani bichak pastries and Congolese sticky doughnuts, to spicy cashew and tomato soup, beef rendang and orange-scented almond cake. Interspersed throughout are inspiring stories from the women whose lives have been changed through the intervention of WfWI. All the royalties from the book will support WfWI's farming and food training initiatives, as well as provide micro-financing in the eight countries in which WfWI operates. The book officially launches on 16 May 2013, but is already on Amazon.