Olutosin And The Cooking Bags

Our personality of the month is on a mission to train over 2400 women across the 36 States of Nigeria on cooking bags. She hopes to collaborate with the Federal Government in carrying out this project. I got her to tell us a bit about the project and what it entails.

In 2011, Olutosin went for a training in South Africa on transformation and got empowered with the skill of making cooking bags in one of the sessions at Kleinmond- Capetown in South Africa. She came back and saw the need to implement her knowledge in Nigeria and help other women to learn the skill. She started with 5 women and got 2 volunteer trainers and 2 paid trainers to help with the teaching. Today, the number has increased to about 30women in Lagos and 15 in India. 

Despite the innovation in this skill, it has been difficult to get people to subscribe to the idea of the cooking bag and patronise the women as Olutosin says, ‘It is hard to sell the cooking bags as many people think that the bag is too cumbersome and those who even buy it use it as just a cooler’.

From what Olutosin said, the bag is much more effective than a bag for cooling things. It reduces one’s budget on kerosene and gas. According to the testimony of Cynthia Stephen, a lady in India, the cooking bag is perfect in ripening plantain, mango and banana. Another testimony states that it helps to make soft toast bread as opposed to the crunchy toast we are familiar with, like cracker biscuit. 

This is a good innovation that the Federal Government should buy into and Olutosin is willing to train these women at no cost. In the future, I hope to work side by side with this great woman to train other young women and girls in the art of cooking bags and help empower more lives in the society. 

Olutosin is doing a wonderful job and it will be great if we can support her efforts whenever she calls upon us. I look forward to the details of her tour round the 36 states of Nigeria when the Federal Government buys into the project which I hope they do as we are looking at a way to save the environment. May be I should add the cooking bags to my Christmas Wish List.

Today, I will be at the Ikeja City mall for the launch of a new line of perfume by Bvlgari. Stop by and get some perfume love for you and your loved ones. I can’t wait  to see you this weekend and the next for Dolce and Gabbana. 

With love,