Navigating Uncertainty - Leading through Covid

I am writing this in the early hours of the morning as the autumn sun rises. For the sun worshippers among us, we hold on to these sun-drenched mornings in the knowledge that darker evenings are on their way. For others, the long evenings are a call to slow down and to rest. As we move forward with the seasons, we are carving out time to reflect upon Houria’s journey to date before moving into autumn’s offerings. 

I had the chance to connect with Houria’s Founder and CEO, Kim Prado. We spoke about moving through times of uncertainty, the unexpected opportunities that arose from Covid and the importance of finding rest within the chaos that comes with founding a CIC amid a global pandemic. Here you will find words on what it is to find and ground yourself within purpose and what it means to lead with vision.  Kim offers a powerful perspective that is as gentle as it is strong and as raw as it is resolved.

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A lot of people who engage with Houria by ordering the Friday Feasts or through social media may not know that Houria is a relatively young organisation formed only a couple of months before the first lockdown. What was it like for you to build the foundations of Houria as we went into a global pandemic?

I founded Houria in January 2020 but the concept started in October 2019 whilst I was doing a programme with Anna called Enrol Yourself. We did our first Houria gig at the showcase of that event, Salha, our trainee Sister and Chef at Houria, and I. So really it started then but we officially founded Houria on January 10th 2020, not having any idea that Covid was going to hit the UK and impact absolutely everything.

My whole living room was plastered with plans. We had the next six, seven months of events booked in and we did three events before the pandemic hit us like a comet. All of those paper plans had to come off the wall and everything got scrapped apart from my dedication to the project, which will never fade. What’s driving me is real abolitionism. I hate slavery. It’s here and I'm not okay with it and no pandemic or anything is going to crush that in me. So the project continued and it had to change.

The way it has changed and grown has gone beyond the plans that we had, way beyond. I’m not religious but I love the phrase, 'God laughs at your plans.’ We had no idea what we were going to do. What I did do was buy a van and continue to cook in church kitchens and wherever else we could find a tiny space, sometimes in my own home. Just two or three of us cooked when it felt safe and when it didn't feel safe it was just me cooking and delivering food. 

We created momentum and a following, not just in customers but with volunteers as well. Anna became my coach last summer on a voluntary basis, fell in love with the project and then joined our staff team. She really helped drive a lot forward for Houria.

During that time of uncertainty and constant change, how did you feel held by your community?

I know women who are older and more experienced than myself who are leading organisations from home and know what it is to be dedicated to a cause and live it. So I have felt held by my females, as well as my dad. I feel held just by knowing why I'm here. I'm really resolved. 

I've had so many fears within leadership, especially with the chaos of the pandemic. When your true purpose emerges, or if you’re lucky and have always known, though I wasn’t, when you are led by a strong vision of what you want to see change, those fears aren't as important.

We’ve had to work within the eye of the storm. This pandemic has been like a storm, it's been messy and unsettling for sure. A lot of women in our community have been the hardest hit by that storm, but the generosity of people and the giving of resources has made it evident that we are held by this universal life force. This force that has met the project and gone, 'Yes, yes, yes. This is wanted. This is needed.' Everything has been showing up for us. It's amazing to get a yes from a funding stream or volunteers that want to contribute to Houria. It's wild. It's amazing. We're doing a supper club at Harvey Nichols in a few weeks. That wasn’t on the plan! You can't make that up.

Moving out of lockdown and into the vitality of spring/summer, what opportunities arose for Houria? How did you connect with the community? 

It has been really exciting to have the opportunity to do things online. I wouldn't have chosen for it to be that way as I'm dyslexic, but doing online cookery classes has created a lot of expansion for us.

We have had opportunities over the spring and summer to do events in safe outdoor spaces like Breaking Bread. Our Creole spotlight supper club at Breaking Bread was a roaring success. We've worked with the team there on a few events over the summer and it is a beautiful connection we’ve made. They're amazing. I also did two speaking events up there which, again, would have been in the plan but for much further down the line.

I think the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the pandemic actually created more opportunities to be more vocal about the issues that Houria is trying to raise awareness of which is racial inequality, migration and modern slavery and how the three are connected. So I've had opportunities to speak up about these things in person up at Breaking Bread, online and on the radio as well as on Kate Strong's podcast.

Community feasts have started back up again. We held an Elders’ Feast recently at Boiling Wells, another incredible venue in Bristol. Having the outdoor space to cook over a fire and bring all these elder women together was beautiful.

With Houria being a young CIC and in a phase of continuous growth and opportunity, how do you implement rest and what is the importance of this time to you?

For me, having a spa membership works. It’s not everyone’s bag but I’ve always had that. Having a place where I can be in and out of water as well as meditate is extremely important. What creates a restful state of mind for me generally is knowing that I'm doing the right thing, the right thing by me and the right thing by others so for me, I feel restful when my relationships are good. 

Last night, Houria served canapés at the Bristol Old Vic. I was physically and mentally drained from working 14 days in a row, but I felt rested seeing our Sisters and Chefs, Salima, Hala and Salha so happy. After all that we’ve been through during Covid, for the organisation to be so young and despite there being so many catering companies in Bristol that could have done that gig last night, they asked us. We're bossing it!

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To stay updated on the work we do, subscribe to our newsletter here. To Feast with us, buy tickets to our Sudanese Supper Club at the lavish Harvey Nichols on the 11th of November. Join us for a three-course meal with canapes and a drink on arrival. This isn’t one to miss!