It’s 3 a.m., and most people in the village of Monteron, Peru, are sound asleep. But for Fernando, the day has already started. The 16-year-old gets dressed quietly, then hops onto his dad’s motor-tricycle. After a five-minute ride, he arrives at the Bread of Life Bakery at his Compassion center. It’s time to bake!
Inside, Fernando meets his friend Johanann, also 16, and the two begin making the day’s loaves of bread. The irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread begins to fill the room, and the doors open for customers at 5 a.m. What began as a workshop to develop youths’ vocational skills soon expanded into a commercial bakery, a welcome new business in the community.
Thanks to gifts like yours for Youth Development, Fernando’s Compassion center has been able to partner with a government trade school to offer youths vocational training in skills such as cosmetology, handicrafts, electricity, welding and baking.
“I’ve been part of the Compassion program since I was 3,” Fernando says, “and I’ve been attending the baking workshop for six months. What I like most is making all types of bread and seeing how people enjoy what we make.”