|
|
 |
 |
 |
Women's Bread Baking Cooperative - La Danta, Honduras
|
 |
 |
The small village of La Danta is
a group of houses inhabited by some 20 families that sustain themselves
by growing small plots of corn and beans. La Danta is located along a
steep mountain road about 15 kilometers from the town of Azacualpa. SHI
has provided families in the area with support to improve both
agricultural production and family nutrition. At the end of 2002, a
group of women from the area asked SHI’s local extension worker,
Salomon Zelaya Paz, for his help. They wanted training to make local
materials into bread. The woman explained to Salomon that, due to the
bad road conditions, people selling bread rarely travel to their
communities. SHI agreed to help them and got in contact with the
National Institute for Professional Formation (NIPF). The NIPF provided
the instruction, and SHI, together with the 10 women, provided the
materials for the training sessions which lasted five days. The woman learned how to make basic breads using manual equipment (there is no electricity in the community).
After
the training, the women decided to form their own cooperative and
started a small bakery. After some ups and downs, the group has grown
strong. SHI has helped them to buy such equipment as trays and molds
and assisted them to enlarge their oven and build a roof over it. The
group buys its own supplies, but only in small quantities, because the
production is small-scale and the profits are low. With additional
funding, they will buy more raw materials and more molds to make larger
batches of bread. One woman says, "This way we can improve our
profits which will improve our lives. We are faced with many
challenges, but we keep making bread; at least one batch every 15 days."
Help
SHI to continue to expand our support of the Women's Cooperative of La
Danta and the many other women in Central America asking for our
assistance. Click here
to learn more about SHI's work with women's groups and the other
techniques we use to plant hope, restore forests and nourish
communities.
 |
 |
 |