A mother’s dream.
A table for everyone.
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Meet Martha.
Martha Okoro lived in Ekenobizi, in Nigeria’s Abia State. She raised her family and made education a priority, while sharing food and learning opportunities with other children in her community.
She wanted children in her village to have the chance to learn and shape their own futures. After her death in 2012, her daughter Mercy helped carry that hope forward.
Cooking with a purpose.
In 2013, Mercy began selling Nigerian food at Lancaster University’s Farmers’ Market to raise money for Martha’s Dream, the charity established in her mother’s memory.
Students, staff and the wider university community helped the venture grow. Among them was Lancaster student Luca Canal, who joined the fundraising effort in 2016.
In 2024, Mercy opened KC’s at Edward Roberts Court. The restaurant continues to help raise funds for the school, while bringing African and Caribbean cooking—and a warm welcome—to Lancaster.
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A chance to learn.
A future to imagine.
Martha’s Dream supports free education for children in Ekenobizi who would otherwise struggle to access school. Martha’s Dream Academy opened in 2017 with its first 20 pupils.
The charity’s work includes nursery and primary education, with a longer-term ambition to expand learning opportunities and support a self-sustaining community project.
KC’s is part of that continuing story. To learn about the academy’s latest work, or how to support it directly, visit the charity’s own website.
“Food, back home,
brings families together.”
Rooted in a real story.
Read more in Lancaster University’s restaurant feature (October 2024) and Martha’s Dream alumni story (January 2025), or visit the charity’s own account.