Panaderia El Hornito

Year: 2014
Country: El Salvador
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Economic Opportunity
Project Investment: $500.00

Project Launch:

The Women’s Group in Las Marias recently opened up a bakery. Before, community members had to travel by bus 45 minutes or wait till a vendor came by once a week to buy bread, a staple in every Salvadoran’s diet. Fourteen women, including four youth, run the bakery. They work on a rotating schedule and have designated tasks, such as baking, bookkeeping, and sales. The women currently do not make a salary but nonetheless are committed to the bakery.

This project will support the bakery and turn it into a small business. The women will be provided with equipment, such as a microwave, cookie cutter molds, metal baking sheets, a worktable, and a coffee maker. This project will also implement leadership, team building and basic business workshops. The goal is to create a small business in the community to empower women and provide opportunities for employment and income generation.

 

Project Update

In addition to successfully completing leadership and entrepreneurship workshops, the women have learned how to make various types of breads, such as French bread, garlic bread, pizza, sweet bread, and pastelitos de pina (sweet bread with pineapple jelly filling). The community is very supportive of the bakery and the women are exploring opportunities to sell their bread in local stores. The women have held bread workshops in two schools and with a neighboring women’s group, clearly showing their influence and impact on their local communities.

 

Testimonials

"I like working in the bakery because we can now buy bread for our families without leaving the community. It is nice to earn my own money and I enjoy the time with the other women." - Nimia, Project Participant 

 

"It really feels good to sell something you created, we are very proud." - Iris, Project Participant