Cooking for equality: women chefs are leading their communities in Vanuatu

PORT-VILA, Vanuatu - For many years, Myriam Malo earned an income by cooking and selling food at the central market of Port-Vila, Vanuatu. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the country went into lockdown, she was one of the many women who found herself without a job. 

Emmy Siro was in a similar position. She worked as a cook in a hotel, but with tourism destroyed by travel restrictions, she no longer had an income.* 

We were so excited, we were in tears. We could all sense how this would change our lives forever.”  - Emmy Siro, Chef at Aelan Mama’s Cuisine

In 2021, Ms. Malo and Ms. Siro took part in training with Alternative Community Trade In Vanuatu (ACTIV). ACTIV is a Spotlight Initiative grantee and not-for-profit that supports local communities by facilitating the sale of fair trade local products.They had recently launched a social enterprise called Aelan Mama’s Cuisine to train women in food preparation, menu planning and the sustainable management of a small business, with the goal of helping women to achieve financial independence. 

Along with nine other Ni-Vanuatu women, some of them survivors of gender-based violence, Myriam and Emmy were able to complement their hospitality knowledge with business skills such as menu planning and budget management.
 
“While we were learning about food safety and finance management, we were so excited, we were in tears," says Ms. Siro. "We could all sense how this would change our lives forever.”

A few months later, the newly graduated chefs opened Aelan Mama’s Cuisine, a restaurant that also allows customers to buy food online, providing them with a steady job and reliable stream of income. 

It marks the beginning of a new era for the entrepreneurs and they say that more opportunities like Aelan Mama’s Cuisine are needed, especially for women living in remote and rural areas of Vanuatu.

“We need to help all the mamas get some training, together we need to join forces to demand more learning opportunities for women and girls,” says Ms. Malo.

Ms. Malo has become a champion in her own community, working alongside the community chief and the committees in the village. She is now involved with the Youth Council of 21 Jump Street, working to sensitize young people on the impact of processed and imported food.

“When it comes to food and nutrition, we need to go back to our roots, and I mean it literally,” says Ms. Malo. “What we eat impacts our health, the environment, our culture, the local economy and [our] livelihood,” she continued, stressing that there is an urgent need to sensitize younger generations on the use of locally sourced food and traditional cooking.

“We tasted what it feels like to be in the driving seat and make decisions that influence our lives and that of our community." - Myriam Malo, chef and community leader

“The training granted permission to all the women to dream bigger and broader, especially when it comes to their rights to learn new skills and participate in the community,” said President of ACTIV, Sandrine Wallez.

The group of women chefs - now agents of change - is thinking of new strategies to create more learning opportunities, not only in food preparation but also in sewing, weaving and the creation of artifacts, with the goal of empowering more women.
 
“We tasted what it feels like to be in the driving seat and make decisions that influence our lives and that of our community, that was the real revolution, there is no going back,” says Ms. Malo. She is now considering running for the municipal elections in Port-Vila to ensure that women are heard and their requests acted upon.

“All women need to know the basics of food safety, food preparation and finance. We need to reach all the women, we need to sit around the table where the decisions are made to channel the resources needed for women and girls’ training,” she concluded.

By Cristina Comunian.
 
*Before the pandemic, almost 70 per cent of employed women in Vanuatu worked in informal sectors according to The Vanuatu National Statistics Office, often without appropriate legal protections or social security coverage.

The Spotlight Initiative is a global initiative of the United Nations which has received generous support from the European Union. Its aim is to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.