
Proof in the eating: Achan bakes long bread rolls in her new oven
A participant of a resilience programme, she has learnt new skills and applied them
Andrew Ewoku
Achan Monica Deng is a 36-year-old mother of six who lives with her husband and four of her children in Titchok Boma, of Twic county, in South Sudan.
She used to eke out a living making bread and selling it, along with tea. She used the traditional method of putting the bread dough directly over a fire. Her usual profit was about a dollar a day. Although this is a small amount, it was enough to feed her household every day.
However, after attending a special baking class offered by ForAfrika and funded by the World Food Programme, she has more than doubled her earnings.
The increased profits from her business allow her to provide additional items for her family, like medication, clothes and school fees.
Achan, like many other women in her community, struggle to provide basic needs for their families. They were given the opportunity to learn new techniques and styles of bread baking, using an improved oven, as part of the resilience programme.
“I am now able to balance the mixtures well and bake different types of bread which I have observed are preferred more by my customers – especially school children. I now earn a profit of 2,000 SSP per day from bread alone, and an additional 1,000 SSP from tea – which is 15,000 SSP ($15) per week!” said a gleeful Achan.
She says that the newfound success of her business has also earned her respect from her husband, who is now very supportive of her work.
“I really appreciates the support ForAfrika and WFP continue to offer to better our lives,” she says.
Andrew Ewoku is Communications Officer in South Sudan