The school of the Franciscan Sisters of Menjez has a fully equipped kitchen that has so far been used for training children with special needs. It also includes a large agricultural area that has until now covered all the needs of the community, including the families of the children, the families of the educators, and the neighbors.
This gave rise to the idea of making more intensive use of these two resources by increasing production in order to produce food items for sale. The products may include daily sales items (e.g., croissants) as well as packaged goods (e.g., small pastries). The production target is set by the project manager based on market conditions, production and delivery capacity, and costs, and is implemented by the project’s “workforce” team.
Funding for a Sustainable Project
Beyond contributing to the sustainability of the training program, this project optimizes the use of the kitchen facilities by covering their maintenance and investment costs.
Although the initiative still needs support to become fully self-sufficient, its social impact is considerable: it creates employment opportunities for the village’s young people and former students, thereby helping retain skills within the region.
Funding is required to finance the preliminary study for a business plan and to secure the necessary initial investments (start-up, recruitment, equipment and consumables, and a minimum level of working capital to meet operational needs, particularly during the start-up phase, until the project becomes self-sustaining and profitable).
