Q&A with Linda Svitak, Longtime Donor and Co-Author of Kitchens of Hope
Kitchens of Hope
We recently learned that Linda Svitak, a longtime supporter and former Board member of One Village Partners, co-authored a special project together with Lee Svitak Dean and Christin Jaye Eaton: Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home.
We reached out to Linda for a Q&A about the cookbook and about her connection to One Village Partners. Read our conversation below:
Q: Why do you choose to support One Village Partners and our communities in Sierra Leone? What draws you to our work?
My interest in Sierra Leone began with Jeff Hall, who was a friend and parent at my kids’ school. I heard Jeff talk about his experience with the Peace Corps, how he returned to Sierra Leone following its civil war, and how these events inspired him to found One Village Partners to help communities rebuild. This really piqued my interest in Sierra Leone, and I agreed to serve on the Board at One Village Partners. In addition, my husband and I decided to make the trip to Sierra Leone with OVP in 2017.
Emilia Smith, who is Sierra Leonean and also a fellow Board member at the time I was, was part of the same trip. She is represented in ”Kitchens of Hope,” both her story and her recipe for coconut cakes. The trip was really eye-opening for both my husband and me. On the trip, we saw firsthand how Sierra Leone needed resources to help rebuild their communities – and in a manner where the communities led the process. As a result, my husband and I have been proud to support One Village Partners over the years.
Q: What was your experience like in Sierra Leone?
We experienced the day-to-day lives of people and saw firsthand how generous and lovely the people are. We combined our time in the villages with learning about Sierra Leone, including some of its history and background. We met a few of the chiefs in the area, as well as with the One Village Partners staff.
My favorite story is the first morning after we had stayed overnight. There was a group of women who all came dancing from house to house to pick us up. It was such a joyful moment, this incredible welcoming.
Q: What gave you the idea to create Kitchens of Hope?
“Kitchens of Hope” got its start with a suggestion from a colleague who I worked with at The Advocates for Human Rights[LS1] in Minneapolis. She proposed making a cookbook that included recipes from clients at The Advocates, mostly immigrants and refugees. We expanded that concept, and “Kitchens of Hope” tells the stories of immigrant journeys to this country, as well as provides the recipes from their homelands. The book covers 32 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and 37 contributors. These are the memories [LS2] the contributors carried with them on their journeys and that they use to start new communities here.
Q: What message would you like to share with donors and supporters of One Village Partners?
It is a small world, and we are so interconnected. I think it is critical that we work to raise each other up. One Village Partners has made a difference in 69 communities, and for more than 79,000 people. That's remarkable and transformative to see such an investment in people and communities.
Through Kitchens of Hope, Linda and her co-authors celebrate the importance of community and connection—values that sit at the heart of One Village Partners’ work in Sierra Leone. We are so thankful for supporters like Linda who help turn connection into meaningful impact!