JAYA CHANDNA

Jaya Chandna is a child psychologist by day, but by night – and on weekends – she uses her brilliant cookery skills to raise funds for various causes.

Her mission started with the Indian farmer protests in 2021, against acts introduced by the Indian government that would remove financial safeguards for farmers to receive guaranteed prices for their stock, and which they feared would leave them vulnerable to large corporations. With more than 40% of the working population in farming, and more than 70% of global spices originating in India, she started selling mailorder DIY dhal kits in the UK – mixes of lentils and spices using her great-grandmother’s recipes.

She set out to raise £1,000. But, once word spread, orders flooded in and Jaya sold more than 450 kits, raising more than £6,000 to send to Khalsa Aid, an NGO supporting the farmers. Eventually, the government dropped the law. Since then, Jaya has used food to raise funds for other campaigns, especially those that receive less attention from mainstream news. She has hosted supper clubs to raise money for Yemeni humanitarian charity Mona Relief; the Afghan Institute of Learning, which empowers women in Afghanistan; and Refugees at Home, a UK organisation connecting households with spare rooms with refugees in need of accommodation.