The Fernandez Alonzo Community
Small Business Bakery Project

PROJECT CONTEXT

Fernandez Alonzo, commonly referred to as "Puesto Ferandez" is a quaint town of more than 5,000 people. Some of the roads are paved, the houses are a mix of cement and dirt, and there is a charming plaza in the town's center. Many people in the community are from the altiplano, and a mixture of Spanish and Quechua is spoken among the inhabitants. Most of the women that participate in the bakery project come from Barrientos and San Miguel, two rural neighborhoods on the town's outskirts. 

The women of the Fernandez Alonzo Bakery Group

Women creating their own solution: The mothers in this community organized and decided to make a change in their lives by developing a Mother's Club ("Club de Madres"). They determined that they will create a project that will allow them to improve their situation and standard of living: a small bakery. In June 2009, Etta Projects connected with these women and began planning a Women's Bakery Project. Twenty women attended the introductory meeting to learn about Etta Projects and share their ideas about the bakery project. Of those women, 14 enrolled in the project.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this project is to begin a bread and pastry making business, while also developing the participant's skills in management and administration. They have studied the market and have developed a business plan.  The Municipality of Fernandez Alonzo offers space in its building to hold classes. The mayor has also agreed to provide space for the women to work once they begin their bakery. Still, the women hope to save funding so they are able to rent or build their own facility in the future.

The Mother's Club is asking for skills, not handouts. Some of the principle objectives of the project are to:

• Produce and sell bread and bakery products

• Build skills in business management, group formation, and
bread/pastry making

• Increase employment opportunities

• Strengthen skills within each member of the group

• Enhance resources in Fernandez Alonzo, providing a solution
to the lack of employment for women

• Improve the income of families in Fernandez Alonzo

The project will be accomplished through a combination of a 12 month microfinance loan financed through Green Bay Rotary Club to set the bakery up, along with support training from Etta Projects.

ETTA PROJECTS EDUCATION AND FACILITATION

There will be a 24-hour Small Business Management course conducted in eight three-hour sessions. In this course the women will learn skills in team-building, leadership, group problem solving, costs, savings, financial management, and customer service. Each participant will also take a 24-hour Bread-and Pastry Baking course conducted over six four-hour sessions to learn to make the products that they will sell. Women will also learn about hygiene, particularly related to food preparation.

Multiple communities will be affected by having lower cost freshly made bread. The impact of this one small project will change the futures of the women involved and their children.

View bakery project updates.