Thanks to a partnership between the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Peru and Peruvian Union University (UPeU), leaders of 18 soup kitchens in the district of Villa María del Triunfo, in the city of Lima, have received specialized training in baking and pastry-making techniques.

Through its School of Engineering in Food Industries, UPeU has played a key role in this program, leaders behind the initiative recently reported. From May 23 to June 6, they held workshops to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to produce a wide variety of bakery and confectionery products.

During these workshops, they shared practical knowledge on the preparation of baguettes, egg yolk bread, wholewheat bread, marbled cake, Tres Leches cake, empanadas, and croissants. Such training will allow coordinators of soup kitchens in the area to acquire new skills that will be useful not only to feed people in need but also to become income-generating opportunities, leaders behind the initiative said.

Jhony Saavedra, an engineer who is also project coordinator for ADRA Peru, expressed his deepest gratitude to UPeU for its valuable support to the food cooperation initiative. “It is a commitment that has significantly strengthened our work and has had an extremely positive impact on those serving in the soup kitchens across Villa María del Triunfo,” Saavedra said. “We appreciate their generosity and solidarity in being a crucial ally in our mission to combat food insecurity.”

This initiative represents a significant step in the fight against food insecurity and serves as an outstanding example of how collaboration between institutions can have a positive impact on the community, Saavedra said.

Leaders explained that the food cooperation initiative is part of a more comprehensive project developed by ADRA Peru, which focuses on collecting and donating food to people in need through the work of soup kitchens in the capital city of Lima. Soup kitchens are managed by groups of neighbors in each neighborhood as they work to fight food insecurity by providing free food for people in need.

About ADRA Peru

In 1965, Seventh-day Adventist leaders organized the organization’s assistance work in Peru with the creation of OFASA DEL PERÚ (Adventist Philanthropic Work and Social Assistance). The organization provided food and clothing to people in need across the country.

In 1984, the organization’s name was changed to ADRA/OFASA DEL PERÚ. Organization leaders established Food for Work and Maternal and Child Health programs, with emphasis on community development.

In 2003, leaders voted to adopt the current name of ADRA Peru. By then, there were already seven specialized portfolios with programs and projects in operation, with an emphasis in comprehensive and sustainable development.

ADRA Peru is part of the ADRA International network, the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church with offices in 130 countries.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.