3 Micro-bakeries for rural women in South Africa

We would like to express our gratitude for your contributions towards Brendon and his wife Anthea, who founded an organisation called The Community Program in Nababeep, Northern Cape. 

The Community Program organisation is committed to transforming their community through four programmes, GBV programme, Life Skills programme, Climate change programme, and Sky12 Programme. The organisation previously received a Mama Mimi oven and began baking with ingredients bought utilising donations received. They have been using the oven to bake and raise money for the organisation. The baking began with bread, plain biscuits and large pizzas.

Over the past year, the organisation has managed to use further donations received to do even more. They have started to expand the catering business, which in turn feeds profit into the organisation to ensure they can keep doing their work in the community. Anthea is not only baking bread and large pizzas now, but has now expanded and has begun offering catering platters for events. She caters for special occasions such as birthday celebrations, and has also catered for events, such as other organisations training. The offering is targeted at those who cannot afford traditional catering companies and helps ensure that everyone can feel celebrated. Anthea explained that community members come to them with a specific budget and they accommodate this. 

Anthea has also branched out with her biscuits due to popular demand and was able to utilise some of the donations to expand her equipment to buy things like Christmas style biscuit cutters which helped her serve many customers over December. The various biscuits are often included in the party platters too. In addition, she has started making smaller pizzas too which also feature in the party platters. 

The donations received have helped grow the catering business which in turn has grown the funds available to the organisation. These funds are helping to keep the organisation going and assist towards things like the annual registration, BBBEE registration and keeping the internet on at the organisation which are all vital.

Thank you for your support and contribution towards sustaining vital organisations like The Community Program in communities that depend on their services to thrive.