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La panadería del hogar Madre Tres Veces Admirable, que ocupa a 12 adolescentes, alimenta a los 1500 chicos de la obra. The bakery of the “Mother Thrice Admirable Shelter”: 12 youth work here, and 1,500 can live from the results Die Bäckerei im “Heim Dreimal Wunderbare Mutter” beschäftigt 12 Jugendliche und ernährt 1500 Kinder Foto: Archiv © 2005 |
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ARGENTINA, LA PLATA, - In 2002, Matias, who was 17 years old and who once in while resided in one of the home of the work of Father Carlos Cajde, was detained by the police. It was not the first time. So a project was tried that would keep him occupied and that would offer him skills for the future.
In short, that is how the bakery of the home Mother Thrice Admirable, which houses 12 adolescent, feeds some 1500 children of the Social Work and provides for the buffets in the government house and the Buenos Aires Legislature.
It was founded on the land of Villa Elviera. There are few houses in the zone, and poplars abound. Each day at 4:00 a.m., it is the only place that has the lights on: in its interior two young men begin to bake. At seven, another group of boys arrives and at noon the group is complete. The first delivery is at 6:45 a.m. and the activity continues until 6:00 p.m.
They work with machines that were donated by a gorup of Italians and by the national government. They are supported by the project, "Adolescents", created by the Ministry of Development of Buenso Aires.
Solidarity is protagonist
The job of kneading and baking -for that they were taught by the National University of La Plata -is not the only thing they share. During work hours, their lifes and experiences are interwoven and solidarity is the hero. Their case histories are so difficult: disfunctional families that are affected by unemployment, abandonament, juvenile delinquency.
What unites all of them is the desire of bettering themselves and the need to abandon the life style of their immediate past. That is why they help each other. Fabio is 19 years old; he is one of the first participants in this endeavor. When he was told, that this activity could help him modify his life, he resolved to enroll his younger brother. Julian is 17 years old, he has been working for two years in the bakery and since year resides in the home.
Gabriel is 14 years old and he arrived at the Social Work at the age of 8. "A man who found him on the steet brought him. I had just finished Mass and he with big eyes, looked at me and at the man who was leaving", recalls Fr. Carlos Cajde, the promoter of the bakery and of several endeavors for youth.
"Father took me by the hand, he took to the home and I never left", said Gabriel.
"The idea is to find more clients and to work to capacity, because this would provide more possiblities for more boys. This keeps them busy, they learn and they do not return to the streets to get into trouble", said Erman Leder, one of the coordinators.
In its short existence of the bakery, that started with four adolescents, the results are encouraging: three youths have become independent and they are already working in their own businesses, and Matias, the involuntary promoter of the project, has not been arrested again.
To collaborate with this project, interested persons may call (++54)0221-456-3751
Source:
La Nacion, Buenos Aires - published Monday, May 23, 2005 @La Nacion
We are grateful to La Nacion for kindly permitting us to publish and translate
this article.
Father Carlos Cajade is a member of the Schoenstatt Federation of Priests.
Short link: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/706578
Translation: Celina M Garza, Harlingen, TX, USA