(Hybrid) BPIA Youth Cultural Exchange: From Farming to Building Strong Mental Health Through Community Care and Year-Round Farming

Educating Our Youth Virtual Program Presents:

The 3rd Annual Community Farming and Hybrid- Networking Event

"From Farming to Mind: Building Strong Mental Health Through Community Care and Year-Round Farming"

Location [Hybrid]: Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9794618227)

[In-Person]: Kakamega, Kenya

Date: Monday - Tuesday, May 18-19, 2026

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 AM ET (2:00 - 4:00 PM Kenyan Time)

Event Details:

The 3rd Annual Community Farming and Networking Event at Pepetwa Farms celebrates both women and men, recognizing their resilience in advocating for and driving innovation in food security across the international space. The event offers participants the opportunity to engage with a diverse group of speakers, exploring how herbs, bees, fruits, and food systems contribute to everyday mental well-being. This year’s conference will serve as a hub of excellence, knowledge sharing, and wellness.

Date: Monday - Tuesday, May 18-19, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 8:00 AM ET (2:00 - 4:00 PM Kenya Time)
Location [Hybrid]: Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9794618227)

Speakers:

Harriet Chebet Ng’O was a high-flying financial manager and consultant, enjoying stints at some of the world’s biggest corporations, but is now best known as the founder and CEO of Harriet’s Botanicals.

Kisito Olumo is the founder and an advocate for community beekeepers. When he found out that we were hosting a community conference event on farming, he volunteered to educate the audience on the importance of bees and the rich value of honey in the community. We are honored to bring him back for our third annual Community Farming and Networking Event, where he will expand his teaching by educating local children from the ground up on the importance of bees and their everyday impact on food security, natural healing, and beauty products.

Kate Wambugu is the director and ambassador of Wambugu Apples, a company focused on apple farming, seedlings, and value addition. Through her company, she has helped expand apple farming across Kenya and internationally, promoting the adoption of the crop through training and outreach. Her work includes encouraging locally grown apples to reduce imports, training farmers, and providing technical support, as well as developing post-harvest solutions, including a modern fruit grading and packing facility. Because of Wambugu Apples, thousands of farmers in Kenya and beyond now grow Wambugu Apples, and we are honored to be among that growing community at Pepetwa Farm.

Nuria Dixon is the Founder and Director of Ethan Art Venture. Ethan Art Venture is a 2022 American animated short film directed and written by Nuria Dixon. The film centers on Ethan, a young artist with a vivid imagination who gains access to a powerful inner animated world through his creativity. The story explores self-confidence, mindfulness, creativity as empowerment, and overcoming competition and self-doubt.

Lisa Corprew is the Founder and CEO of The Melanated Growers Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to eradicating food insecurity in communities designated as food deserts. Under her leadership, the foundation has established multiple community gardens across Jacksonville, Florida, USA, with a particular focus on underserved urban areas. Through hands-on agricultural education and local outreach, Melanated Growers empowers residents to cultivate sustainable, healthy food systems within their own neighborhoods.

Shana Manradge is the Founder and CEO of A Better Market. She is a lifelong resident of Paterson, NJ, USA, and the visionary and driving force behind A Better Market, the city’s first corner store. With a passion for health, community, and local business, Shana has dedicated herself to transforming the way her community thinks about food, offering fresh produce and nutritious options to a population often neglected by traditional grocery stores.

Olena Korsunska is the Head of the NGO Child’s Smile, an organization focused on the protection, socialization, integration into society, advocacy, human rights support, and medical care for children and youth with mental disabilities. Olena is also the head of Kotliareve Farm, which cultivates 300 hectares of land and grows wheat, barley, peas, rapeseed, and sunflower. Unfortunately, for the past four years, she has had to work under difficult conditions due to the military aggression of the Russian Federation.