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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 |
Sr. Carol is a staff member at AMANECER, an orphanage network in Cochabamba, Bolivia. She is involved in the Saint Louis sponsored program, Pan y Amor.
 Dear Friends,
We are happy to be writing you from the Vocation Complex of Amanecer where some of the young men of the program are learning technical trades to be able to support themselves later in life.
The Vocation Complex started early in the history of the program to keep the boys occupied in something productive and to teach them skills needed in the work world. We started with a carpentry workshop and later metal mechanics, which were in one of the houses of Amanecer. As the needs grew, a piece of land was purchased where a series of buildings were built and equipped where training is now provided in carpentry, metal mechanics construction, electricity, plumbing, and, more recently, baking. In this letter we'd like to focus on the bakery. For a number of years we have been training boys in the skills needed to work as bakers. When they finish their preparation they are able to find work in this trade.
At the end of March of this year, we hired 2 former students who, with supervision, were able to work well and manage the bakery. In order to improve our production even more, we hired a qualified master baker. The improvements have opened up the possibilities for work for 3 more boys and soon a fourth will join us. Some of these boys were working for a few cents a day washing car windows. For these young men this opportunity can be a lifesaver. Though not all can meet the challenges of a full time job after having had experience of being independent on the streets, for those who can resist the urge to go back to the "easy life" they've known, it is a big help. The first of the 2 young men we mentioned is grateful for this help as he is starting a family soon.
 As of recently, we have a goal of producing 4,500 breads a day, most of which goes to a number of our houses in Amanecer. This "daily bread" which the Vocation Complex provides is a blessing for all of us since (because of donations) we can continue to provide bread at a low price to the homes that serve the many needy children who come to Amanecer. The economic situation in Bolivia (as in many parts of the world) is serious, as the cost of food has doubled and tripled. At the same time, the value of the dollar here continues to drop. Since many donations come to us in dollars, the money doesn't go as far as it used to.
Some of the improvements we are planning in the bakery are to paint the 256 trays we use with a special paint and to redo the floor in the fermentation room to avoid ruining the bread as it is moved across the bumps. With all of this, we believe we'll soon have a first rate bakery.
In a recent Sunday Gospel, Jesus told his disciples to give bread themselves to the hungry multitude. This is what we do with YOUR help. We go forward each day giving thanks to God for friends like you who help us provide "daily bread" and to teach the skills to these young men, which make it possible for them to earn THEIR "daily bread". We thank you in the name of these young men and all who eat their bread.
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