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Milk + Honey Ministries

20944 Kingsville

Detroit, MI 48225

ABOUT

Milk & Honey is a baking school for women and retail bakery in the city of Jos, founded by myself, Casey Kempton. I'm a professionally trained baker from Michigan and I've been working in Jos for nearly six years, kickstarting baking programs for organizations with goal of empowering disenfranchised people. Our co-founder is Jocelyn Redekop, who has been running a successful tailoring ministry for widows for over a decade, called Threads & Light.

Why women in Nigeria? In the middle belt of Nigeria, there is ongoing conflict that is influencing the increasing population of widows. Many widows are displaced as a result of this conflict, making up some of the near 3 million internally displaced people in Nigeria. However, no matter the cause of their loss, widows are consistently marginalized- 42% of widows in Nigeria are completely dispossessed, according to the Demographic and Health Surveys Program. Sometimes they even lose custody of their children at the hands of in-laws. We also work with single mothers who are dealing with financial struggle and similar social stigmas within Nigerian culture.

Providing skills training, such as baking, gives women the opportunity to support themselves and their children. Though our goal is to increase economic opportunity, we believe in the healing power of creative arts and an environment centered on Christ's love. Our number one priority is to nurture, support, and build relationships with the women we work with regardless of monetary outcome.

What happens at the school? When women are enrolled in our school (at no cost to them other than time), they will begin hands-on training immediately. Once their baking has reached a proficient level, which is hopefully halfway through our projected 9-month training period, the school can sell the products that are made to take steps towards sustainability.

Many of the women do not have substantial sources of income as they are joining the ministry at a challenging time in their lives. Until their training is completed and they are "on their feet", we will take care of their immediate needs as funding allows. This may include allowances for food, school fees for their children, medical expenses, etc.

Besides the actual baking, discipleship, community, and business skills are an integral part of M&H. Our hope is for each student to experience healing in many ways. From what I've observed in the baking school I was a part of the previous couple of years, it's amazing to watch how the confidence of these women grows as they hone their skills. It's a feeling I resonate with as a baker, too- never underestimate the power of a safe, encouraging space for people to truly explore their creative capabilities. Especially when the products of your hands are well loved by your community.

What happens when a student finishes the baking program?

We want our kitchen to continue to be a resource for our graduates if it's needed. However, our long term goal is for the women to move on from our school and start in-home bakeries, or even start training others- it's a skill in high demand. When we are financially stable enough, we look forward to opening an official retail bakery including a pop-up cafe on our upper patio.

One of our important goals is to fully utilize local equipment, ingredients, and utensils to avoid dependency on Western materials as best we can. Our hope is that this will make our baking curriculum easier for our students to replicate post graduation- that they can find what they need to get started in the market in Jos.

Why do you need me? In addition to prayer for our school, we rely on our ministry partners to assist us. By selling our products, we make up for nearly all of our ingredient costs. We use your contributions to help with staff salaries, school fees for the women's children, food provisions, assistance with rent among the women, and the maintenance of our ministry property. Because the dollar is strong in Nigeria, even a donation of $1 can ease a burden - every bit counts!

Still have questions?

Email us at admin@milkandhoneyng.com

Thank you!

Milk & Honey Bakery in Nigeria

Partner with us as we provide support and skills training for women in Jos, Nigeria.

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