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PROGESS Bakers' & Farmers' Committee
USAID/Paraguay Northern Zone Initiative The program seeks to improve income, access to employment and the quality of life for rural residents of Concepción, San Pedro, Amambay and Canindeyu Departments
In 2010 USAID contacted sugar cane producers in rural Belén, a very poor village in the Department of Concepción
The committee membership consisted of 17 men and 3 women, all of them sugar cane producers eager to improve their incomes
The women had a bakery project in order to use the sugarcane syrup that was produced by the Committee
They wanted to take advantege of their abilities to cook and to produce a special corn bread called "chipa" to start the bakery bussiness
USAID learned of the project and supported the by donating bakery equipment and providing training
"We though that selling bread would generate extra income for us because bread is something anybody eats at least three times a day "
"We were thinking in this project when USAID learned about our dream and offered their assistance"
Dona Tita said that thanks to USAID they were able to make their dream come true. Training started in Setember 2010 .
The bakery started operationg at the end of 2010, after a training period
Both men and women work in the bakery, which has 20 members.
After USAID's technical training the committee began working on the internal organization and baking bread
The Government of Concepción Department provided small infraestructure funding for remodeling the bakery.
Doralis Cohene is the chief of production. She supervises and decides how much to produce in adition to working in the bakery.
The bakery produces both breads and pastries. The sale is local, at the bakery, from house to house, at fairs and in some institutions.
They have many plans for the future like a location in Belén and another along the highway
Doña Tita is satisfied with the selling of the products
Serafina said that their products are well received and that they are confident of the quality of their bread
She told that they already passed a learning period and now they will generate greater income
Doña Serafina Ariste de Villa is both member of the bakery and the sugar cane production committee
She commented that at the beginning working togheter with men was not easy.
She explains how the Paraguayan man tends to be very macho and expects women to work at home, caring for children and cooking, without working outside the home
She says that she studied to help out by working in the comunity, at church or even at hew own bussiness. Now she is very happy to be a member of the bakery committee
She convinced her husband many years ago, that she was capable of working outside and now she has his full support for all her activities
Today both men and women believe in a better future
A future with a better quality of life and progress
PROGRESS, just as the name of the committee indicates.