The goals of the bakery are clear:
to empower the refugees, especially women, with skills that will enable them to earn a livelihood; to become a focal point for the community; and to feed the most vulnerable refugees – the children, on a regular basis.
Building the First Bakery
The ADAMÂ Foundation built its first bakery in the Oruchinga Settlement Camp in Southern Uganda. The camp is home to over 9000 refugees from Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, and other parts of East Africa.
Three exceptional women joined forces to make the dream of the ADAMÂ Bakery a reality in Oruchinga. Angella Kushemererwa and Sophie Nakayiza worked together with Ayelet, our founder, to locate the bakery site and oversee the construction of the brick oven. Sixteen women and four men were personally selected by Angella and Sophie to be in our first class of trainees. Once the space was outfitted with all the necessary tools, machines, and utensils, the training was ready to proceed.
In October of 2021, master bakers Jeffrey Hamelman and Sara Molinaro arrived from the US to conduct the two-week training course.
After settling on a regional bread recipe, Jeffrey and Sara taught the trainees the fundamentals of professional baking. Within a few short days, the bakery staff began producing delicious bread and rolls, and sharing them with the community.
Life Inside the Bakery
Two full meals a day are made by our team members, some of whom must walk many miles in both directions to reach the bakery.
We have a room inside the bakery dedicated to childcare, so our bakers can come to work with their young children.
Construction is underway for an adjacent store to sell the bakery’s products, putting it on track to become a self-sustaining business.
We are creating a workshop on-site in the store, with a sewing machine to make blankets for refugee families. The workshop will also make reusable cloth ADAMÂ bags for carrying our breads, as well as traditional handmade baskets for serving bread.
Our community is growing each day. While working in Oruchinga, we met an incredible group of men, the Umoja drummers group from Burundi. Through music, spoken word poetry, singing and dancing, these singular men are spreading a message of hope and unity to refugees young and old alike.
We have dedicated a part of our fundraising to the men of Umoja. When our team travels into Oruchinga to distribute bread and rolls, the Umoja drummers help make each stop a ritual, performing for the villagers who come from many different African countries. These moments of breaking bread and celebrating together create a human tapestry of connection that is a core principle of the ADAMÂ Foundation.
Building Community Around the Bakery
Christmas in Oruchinga
Over the Christmas holiday, we launched a special initiative, donating the entire 3-day output of the bakery to feed over a thousand children in five different villages inside the camp.
Bread and Ritual with the Umoja Drummers
In March of 2022, Jeffrey Hamelman and Mitch Stamm traveled to Oruchinga to lead a second two-week training session for the ADAMÂ bakers.
