Sewing and Design Cooperative
In the beginning of 2021, Sheny Pineda (one of our staff members) started the Sewing Cooperative. Since then, there are women trained up and earning money for their families.
Bakery Cooperative
In September 2023, we opened its second cooperative: a Bakery Cooperative.
The bakery cooperative vision was birthed in the fall of 2021, by another staff member, Zaqueo Sáenz. Zaqueo has a passion to see people empowered, healed and equipped. Growing up in a pastoral family he learned to serve people in his community. He worked for 17 years in his family’s local bakery before he began work with us, so it was natural to develop a program that he is gifted in.
VISION
The vision of the bakery cooperative is to offer training in baking, business and to promote personal improvement, teaching a trade to provide income to the families of our community.
Zaqueo desires the bakery cooperative to be a place where people are motivated, taught and trained as leaders of excellence, who have the following values: love, honesty, courage, improvement, respect, passion, quality.
The cooperative desires to see individuals grow, provide them with the necessary skills to generate extra income for their family. The cooperative will support them in reaching family, personal goals and dreams, while providing them with trade training, financial education and motivation to be a good administrator.
The bakery cooperative vision was birthed in the fall of 2021, by another staff member, Zaqueo Sáenz. Zaqueo has a passion to see people empowered, healed and equipped. Growing up in a pastoral family he learned to serve people in his community. He worked for 17 years in his family’s local bakery before he began work with us, so it was natural to develop a program that he is gifted in.
VISION
The vision of the bakery cooperative is to offer training in baking, business and to promote personal improvement, teaching a trade to provide income to the families of our community.
Zaqueo desires the bakery cooperative to be a place where people are motivated, taught and trained as leaders of excellence, who have the following values: love, honesty, courage, improvement, respect, passion, quality.
The cooperative desires to see individuals grow, provide them with the necessary skills to generate extra income for their family. The cooperative will support them in reaching family, personal goals and dreams, while providing them with trade training, financial education and motivation to be a good administrator.
We had our first session September - December 2023 with 5 students.
Our second session ran from August 2024-February 2025 with 15 students.
In 2025, 8-10 young men have learned the baking trade, while being mentored.
The cooperative charged a monthly cost is Q150.00 ($25.00 CDN) that included training, the use of production equipment and materials for making bread.
Classes were held 2 days a week.
We are excited to see individuals learn these skills, develop their lives, supply for their family and break out of poverty.
Thank you to all who have invested in the Bakery. You are investing in lives.
God Bless.
Matt and Kerry Blacklock and Zaqueo Saenz
PS. Come on down to Guatemala to test the amazing Zaqueo Saenz donuts.