A group of women capitalised on the popularity of East Africa’s injera by founding a bakery at the heart of a university campus.
We saw a television programme on how people were starting businesses. We also formed a group and we were looking for ways of making our dream of a bakery come true,” says Aselefech Gebre Meskel, chairlady of Injera Bakery. “The injera is a sour pancake made from teff flour and the batter is cooked on a special clay plate that is heated over burning coals.”
They saw their opportunity and contacted the Facilitator For Change organisation for assistance in getting their business started. “We facilitate the weekly meeting on which they exercise leadership and discuss different issues: the economic, social and other aspects of their life. The ladies saved their money and pooled their resources – that was enough to start internal lending and create their own business,” explains Alazar Tefesse of Harbu loans, who also helped the ladies to apply for a permit for a production site for their bakery and purchase their stoves. “They came with a solid business plan for a processing factory for injeras. They told us how much they needed and we investigated their plan and then approved it accordingly.”
The women raised US $7 000. This is a tremendous achievement for these people, who struggle to put a roof over their heads in any shape or form.
Thanks to micro-credit, the bakery is now up and running. Over 80 women work at this production factory, providing the university with tasty injeras,” says Alazar. And it’s very important to the women, too, seeing as how much it has done for them.
Before this job I was unemployed. I was staying home all day taking care of the household, but now the greatest success in my life story is the fact that I have a job. It’s the fact that I have something to contribute to my life. Maybe in the future I can help other girls like me to get a job. To form a small group and to start a business,” says one of the women working at the Injera Bakery.
After I joined the group I earned enough money to send my children to school. Some of them are already in university. After this association evolved into a business I was able to earn extra money. Besides my business shares I now also get a salary. Now I am financially independent and I don’t depend on my husband’s income anymore,” says another.
Through their profits, the ladies have also increased their supply by buying a delivery van to make sure that deliveries are on time, and the future looks bright with more faculties at the university looking towards the injera Bakery for daily meals. Success really does taste good.
A group of women capitalised on the popularity of East Africa’s injera by founding a bakery at the heart of a university campus.
