Sisters' Stories: How baking transformed these women's lives

Our Baking Sisters programme is one of our core income-generating schemes, and sees many of the women we support running their own successful camp-based bakery and coffee shop, plus a social enterprise.

With so many life events happening in camps, there’s always huge demand for cakes and bakes to celebrate birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and religious and traditional occasions. Women and girls also love to meet up to share a homemade treat and talk freely in our dedicated cafe space.

Baking Sisters started as a small project, utilising the talents of a few skilled bakers, but has since developed into a long-term project which has moved into a more extensive community space. The scheme not only equips women with the skills to cook, but also fosters friendships, healing and community spirit, while simultaneously building their confidence.

Crucially, Baking Sisters is managed and operated by the women themselves – with the initial equipment, structures, capital goods and raw ingredients provided by the Lotus Flower.

Here you can see some of the women’s own stories and verdicts on the project - which we’re so proud of!