The Bakery School Project

Support for Abused Teenage Girls in Sri Lanka

The Bakery School Project

The Bakery School Project teaches teenage girls – the victims of violent and sexual abuse in Sri Lanka, who are confined in a ‘home’ until they are 18 years – cooking and baking skills. The project has done very well in its first six years of operation, with more than 90% of graduates finding employment, giving them hope for a new start in life. The project also provides English language tuition and classes on interview preparation and simulation.

RoundTrip has partnered with the Bakery School and our future objectives for this project, apart from attaining sufficient funding, are:

  • providing a counselling service
  • providing a diversity of employment opportunities beyond baking
  • helping the girls reunite with their families (they are often rejected after they have been released from the home)

In recent years an expansion of students accepted into the bakery school program has occurred, with young women from poverty stricken households welcomed into the program.

Although the covid pandemic has made things difficult, thanks to the dedication of our partners in Sri Lanka, led by Janaka De Silva (Director of the Bakery School), classes have continued with some covid-safe modifications.

 

 

The Bakery School in 2023 – 2024

Due to the current turmoil in the Sri Lankan economy we are hoping to raise another $15,000 by the end of 2023, in preparation for 1st semester in 2024. As well as the school’s running costs, we are also raising funds for much needed kitchen equipment.

Running costs: baking ingredients, chef salaries, uniforms, electricity, insurance and transport.

Equipment needed: digital scale, industrial blender, microwave oven, small freezer / refrigerator unit, two small stainless steel top tables, pastry flattener machine.

RoundTrip currently provides most of the Bakery School’s funding. We welcome donations and if you can contribute, even in a small way, we, and more importantly the students, would be very grateful. It’s a wonderful way to have a very positive impact.

The Bakery School is supported by the
Tucker Foundation

Background of the Students

The girls’ home where most of our bakery school students come from is in southern Sri Lanka, and has around 70 to 80 occupants between 13 and 17 years of age, at any given time. The girls are mostly the victims of rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence. The girls in the home ‘need protection’ because the cases against their perpetrators (usually family members or someone close to the family) can drag on for years in Sri Lanka’s court system. During this time the girls’ lives are often in danger. After being released at 18 years of ages,  many girls end up on the streets, getting involved in prostitution, crime and drugs (during their time at the girls’ home they acquire no skills or training). More background information about previous students and how they came to be placed in the girls’ home is also available.

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