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Dem. Rep. of Congo, Africa

DRC05a - SPCM Community Bakery

• View report dated: August 13, 2021

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Report Date: February 28, 2023

Update from Emmanuel on SPCM Bakery

Firstly, we want to begin this report with an expression of feelings of shame for not having achieved what was planned, because facing failure in the face is not the pride of leaders. We recognize our real failure in our previously planned actions.

Recent Events

Activities

The bakery project has not changed anything for the last 12 months, no more steps have been taken in its full materialization. So, we can say that the project is still at the point where we had stopped it in July 2021. At that stage, the construction of the house and the furnace were already completed; the equipment of the goods in part was gathered; training of officers was ongoing; and an expert in bakery construction was consulted.

There are a few reasons for this inactivity. Apart from the hard times of coronavirus disease and a double destruction of the house of the bakery project coordinator by thieves, which created above all a long period of instability in his family life, three reasons were identified as the only difficulties that prevented the start-up project from being implemented as planned:

a) The loss of project assets and money intended for the construction of a modern bread bakery and toilet outlet for public use (photo on right is of toilet building). The engineer to whom construction money and money for other necessary goods for the bakery project was paid, is unable to justify this loss. He gave us promises of repayment in a short time, but until these days nothing is done or accomplished. To justify this loss, he gave us as evidence his letter of claim and the confirmation of justice where the case was brought.

b) The unavailability of Brother Dieudonné Utoka Kyona, regional manager of SOWERS and the project and finance manager of the bakery project. Since he found gainful employment for his survival, the brother does not come to answer the appointments of the committee in charge of supervising the bakery. Brother Dieudonné was the central person in the design and execution of all stages of this project, and his absence blocks the other members from continuing the actual realization of the project. We don't know where to start.

c) The death of one of three influential members who were chosen for the actual manufacture of bread. This deaf-mute who left us following a traffic accident already had good experience in making bread. After practical training in a local bakery, the other two members whom our project had hoped to hire, left our organization and went to work elsewhere. 

Comments

To all our partners and donors who have trusted us by praying and assisting us financially, we ask them a thousand times forgiveness for this great delay in the execution of the project. We promise that with this new year 2023, we will do everything to ensure that the productivity of bread is done and realistic. So, we believe that in the first six months of 2023 we will finally give news about the official opening of this activity.

 

Emmanuel Ngoy Kakudji wa Kita
Project Coordinator