Kenkey For The Needy

‘Kenkey For The Needy‘ is an initiative that brings the community together to chop kenkey, have fun and raise funds. Violet Naa Ayeele Aryee is the founder of Tatas and Friends Foundation since 2013. Her aim is to transform lives of children in rural communities through various initiatives. Help build schools for the  underprivilege. The funds this year go towards the rehabilitation of Noakrom Basic School. 

Kenkey Squad. From a young age I have been eating Ga Kenkey with pepper and fish. So, no hesitation to partake in ‘Kenkey for the Needy’. Some friends do not like the taste because its tangy and sour,  So make sure you vibe with your Kenkey squad to enjoy. 

What is Kenkey.  Kenkey is a traditional Ghanaian dish made from fermented white corn. There are three different types:
It is called kɔmi by the Ga people (original name is “Otim” )

Mfantse Dokon (or Dokono) (Fante Brown or Fante White) by the Fante people in Central region.
Nsewho Dokon is common with Western and Western North regions.

How to prepare Kenkey. Maize is milled into flour, mixed with warm water. Then fermented up to seven days to form a dough. Dough is hand kneaded until stiff texture.
Divide into two halves. Cook half in pot on fire for ten mins stirring constantly. Then add remaining dough and stir vigorously into smooth texture.
Divide into serving amounts and wrap in cornhusks (Ga Kenkey), dried plantain (Fante Kenkey) or Akonkro Dokon cooked in the Asofuo leaves.
Place on wire rack above water in a large pot and boil/steam for up to three hours. 

Belly Full. The kenkey was 10 cedis (or 15 cedis for millet kenkey). I had 2 balls of Ga Kenkey with fish and 3 different types of pepper. However, there was a variety of accompaniments to choose from – egg, shrimps, onions, tomatoes, pear. There was a designated area of tables and chairs and also a hand wash station. The kenkey was soft and nice and the pepper was hot and delicious. 

There were many vendors selling local drink – sobolo, palm wine, lamugin, asaana, ice kenkey, pito and local snacks: polo, kulikuli, nkatie cake, plantain chips, peanuts, popcorn and many more.

Entertainment. Throughout the day was live music from a brass band. On the mic was DJ Lord Dash giving joke and entertaining as we danced and sang.  

Games. There was lots of interactive games – table tennis, table football, snooker, and a wide selection of board games to choose and when finished playing just give a donation. A nice area with mats and cushions, so we sat and played Oware.

# Kenkey for the Needy 2024
To support and donating check out IG Kenkey for the Needy,
IG tatasandfriends, IG tatascarita

Kenkey for the Needy was a great event which I really enjoyed taking part with great food, fun entertainment and lively crowd – all for a good cause to raise funds for children in rural communities.

Check out reel on IG: thecalabashhub

Bless Sister E