With economic challenges and high unemployment rates that some countries are facing, it is always encouraging to see sustainable projects that some communities have not only started but maintained. In Zimbabwe West Union Conference (ZWUC), Evimileni SDA Church, in Emakhandeni, has a fledging bakery project which has grown from strength to strength over the past months.
Impressed by this initiative, representatives from Zimbabwe West Union Conference visited the site. The team was comprised of the ZWUC Chief Financial Officer, Ndabezinhle Masuku, accompanied by Dr. Jefrety Sibanda, ZWUC Stewardship Director, and Mrs. Zibusiso Sibanda, ZWUC Women, and Children’s Ministries Director. Also present was Pastor Siwela (Emakhandeni District) who facilitated engagement with the team of ladies on how to improve their processes, scale their operations and safeguard their investment.
This project is the brainchild of a team of twenty women at the church who began the initiative last year in November. They use a handmade outdoor oven which they plastered themselves using sustainable materials. They bake buns which they sell to nearby stores, schools, and households. These products have been well received. The team has recently added bread as a product. The team of women is planning to build a bigger oven in the next fortnight in order to enhance capacity and meet the increasing demand.
The finance department at ZWUC is inspired by the positivity and determination of these women in the face of a challenging environment. There are plans to provide technical support and resources to encourage the sustainability and growth of this great initiative.
Written by Ndabezinhle Masuku
First published on Zimbabwe West Union Conference Treasury Facebook page
Photo credit : Ndabezinhle Masuku
