The 14 member Phakama- Godlwayo Bakery of Insiza District in Matabeleland South has purchased land for a bakery after they made money from their bakery after receiving training from SIRP. The club has 12 females and 2 males. Through beneficiary contribution, the group had managed to construct a Dutch oven using cement and bricks. This was after they diversified from a savings club to a bakery. The group received initial training from local agricultural extension officers and when SIRP started operating in Matabeleland South, one member of the bakery , Sharon Ncube received training from SIRP on bakery and other nutritious bio-fortified foods. Ncube then cascaded the training to other members of the group. This assisted the group to use biofortified ingredients for baking. The group started selling their bakery produce such as plain buns and bread to the local market. The group also received training and raw materials from SIRP for the production of detergents.
From the proceeds of the two business, the group managed to purchase a 0.425ha business stand and approval for their plan. They paid US$300 for the bakery plan, US$145 for inspection and US269 for pegging. The group was expecting the council to erect perimeter pegs marking the boundaries of stand the following week. The group expected to start land clearing soon after the pegging, which would then be followed by construction activities.
Club members were expected to contribute river sand and 10 000 bricks from each. The male members of the group were expected to lead the infrastructure sub-committee and assist with trenching for the building’s foundations. The goal and objective of the group was to complete the bakery by December 2023, produce their bakery products in large quantities to meet demand. It was apparent that the bakery was unable to meet demand as customers would pay in advance for products and then camp outside the premises while the women prepared the buns and bread.
At the time of the visit, the oven was outdoors and had no shade. This exposed the group members to weather elements such as rains and high temperatures, which negatively affected the bakery activities. In response to the challenges, the group was working hard and expecting to move to their stand before the end of the year. The women expected to give competition to large, established bakeries that make deliveries from the city of Bulawayo and expected that in the new premises they would switch from using firewood and start using electricity. They also planned to introduce 24 hour shifts for the bakery. The group is an applicant for the SIRP-USDAF grant.