MOZ 12 - WAPEYA SANA: NACALA SCHOOL COOKING CLASS
Project Location
Nacala Porto is a port city in Nampula Province, Mozambique. The city is the main point of the mega-logistics project called "Corredor Logístico de Nacala" (or "Corredor Logístico do Norte'), which, in addition to the railway, includes highways, ports and airports, in an attempt to create a new economic dynamic for the north of Nacala. The city has, according to the 2014 data of the National Institute of Statistics, a population of 241,050 inhabitants. Most of them are women, young people and children. But the reality of the population goes further, because lately many displaced people have arrived from the province of Cabo Delgado, from districts attacked by insurgents.
The project will take place at the Women’s Community Polytechnic Institute of Nacala (IPCFN) located 4 km from the central area of Nacala, in an area of strong expansion and development. IPCFN was founded in 1998 to meet the need to provide quality training to Mozambican women. The Direction and Administration of the Institute are the responsibility of the Comboni Missionary Sisters of the Province of Mozambique.
Project Description
The first cooking course, held in 2022, was very successful because of the 11 young trainees, 7 found work in the places where they did the internship, and this allowed them to improve their economic situation. We currently have many young women applying to participate in the culinary training, which motivates us to resume this project and give the opportunity to other young women.
Through this cooking course the girls will develop the basic knowledge of gastronomy in relation to the social context and the tourist development of the country; they will learn to use local products to prepare different recipes; they will learn to use different cooking techniques in order to improve and increase their knowledge and skills in the preparation of foods from different national and international cuisines; Special attention will be given to quality gastronomy in hotels and restaurants.
Young graduates will have an IPCFN diploma and will be able to enter the labor market (restaurants and hotels are increasing both in the cities of Nampula and Nacala and in other tourist areas of the country) or they will be able to start their own business.
The course started in April with a duration of 9 months, divided as follows:
- 6 months of study at the IPCFN: of which the first two months: with theoretical and practical lessons and, the remaining four months will be only of exercises.
- 3 months’ internship in various places such as hotels and restaurants in the city of Nacala-Porto. The internship in restaurants or hotels will be 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
During the theoretical part there will be lessons on hygiene and nutrition, occupational safety, accounting, professional ethics and mathematics. More time will be dedicated to practical lessons, for the preparation of dishes and menus.
Objectives
- Continue training in gastronomy at the IPCFN for vulnerable young women, in order to certify their talent and skills
- Allow these women to enter the world of work or implement their self-employment and thus be able to support their families.
Beneficiaries
Direct: 15 vulnerable young women, unable to continue their studies due to lack of economic resources, or because they have to look for a way to support their family, as single mothers. Young women are between the ages of 18 and 35.
Indirect: their families.
Referent sister for the project: Sr. Celia Elizabeth Carrillo Sánchez
Project's costs