The bread was delicious! That was my verdict on the output of the cafe/bakery in Khurmen, South Gobi, on our visit there this week. The cafe, begun three years ago after our first micro-business training in the Gobi, has seen significant growth. Finance from Seedtime's Loan Team enabled business partners Tuya and Tsegegjargal (second picture down, first and second from left) to buy the bakery next door to their cafe. In another business context you'd call this a vertical integration! Having received bakery training, the stage was set for the quality output from their ovens. Meanwhile Enkhmurun's* shop (7th from top) provides another outlet for the bakery's products. Staff have been taken on, and now they're getting ready for further expansion.
Tuya, who manages the bakery, has started another business in the heart of Khurmen: a communal shower (5th picture down)! To give you the context, no-one in this community of 1,700 had access to running water, never mind hot running water. All that has changed, thanks to the new shower facility.
The local church is at the heart of this transformation, giving context and encouragement for the businesses. In one of the most impoverished regions of the Gobi, church-based businesses are looking upwards and outwards with confidence. Follow the pictures on the right to get more of the story.
*Not her real name, as I can't remember it!