Doña Silvia, baker
Doña Silvia always dreamed of becoming a baker and owning her own bakery. She completed 5th grade in school. As she married at a young age, she could not continue her studies. Her desire to be trained as a baker in Cochabamba could not be realised. "I couldn't fulfil this dream of mine with four children and a husband at home", explains Doña Silvia.
When she heard about the first alternative training course for bakers, she applied immediately. "I was saved when the community installed its first oven and we were invited for training." Doña Silvia completed her training, took out a mortgage on her house and purchased her first oven with a loan of USD 15,000. She was able to pay off the loan after three years.
Today, the bakery "Panaderia Silvia" is the largest in her village. Every day, 2,400 loaves of bread are made and distributed among the eight shops in all areas of the village using the bakery's own transport. Doña Silvia's bakery has become a family business. Her husband quit his job and now also bakes bread.
