AEOCB au Burundi

On  November 2016, we went on a mission in Burundi, One of the purposes of the mission is to teach the youth how to cook . The goal was they learn cooking simple things using the local ingredients and with minimal tools and utensils hoping that they can do it at home and may be they start to sell it themselves and earn money.

It was a group of 12,We gave them two cooking classes: the 1st how to make Jam , Burundi is an equatorial country and have lot of delicious fruits specially the pineapples so we made with them Pineapple jam which is easy to make  and does not require any ingredients beside the pineapple and Sugar. The Pineapple turned to be delicious. We also taught them how to sterilize the Jars they will use for canning. The only problem was that this require a stove and this is not available in their houses (they use charcoal for cooking) Jams in the market are expensive and it will be great if they have access to stoves or have a small project so they can make jam and sell in the market with a good price.

The Other Class was how to make cheese at home. They have very good quality milk and they don’t have cheese, they are not familiar with cheese, and the ones in the markets are very expensive. So they can use the milk to make cheese, All they need was the milk and Rennet or Vinegar to make the Cheese, muslin cloth and they will have delicious cheese full of nutrients, they can do at home for their families or sell it.We also prepare ahead before departing the mission a booklet  in French with the 2 recipes colored and illustrated with photos , we gave each one of them a booklet to keep it  and use it whenever they want.

The good thing that the following day after we made the Jam 2 of them made us 2 Kind of Jams (Pineapple and Mango) and cheese and brought us to test them. They were really interested and motivated. We felt that they are only lacking the funds and tools to start a project. If we offer them these things they will be able to work and earn their living.