In Nouakchott, Mauritania, Sr. Maria Nguyet successfully led the project “The Cherry on Top,” which consisted of creating a pastry training workshop for young women without formal education in order to ensure them a better future. 

Fifteen young women aged 17 to 30 were selected based on their motivation, personal and family needs, work ethic, and desire to progress. 

The training took place in several stages.

The first quarter was devoted to raising awareness of the standards required for this pastry-making activity: food hygiene, storage rules, quantity and dosage management.

The participants also learned how to use utensils, the importance of personal hygiene, and how to wear appropriate clothing. Beyond the technical aspects, emphasis was placed on changing the mindset of the apprentice pastry chefs to adopt values that required considerable effort on their part: teamwork, mutual respect, punctuality, honesty, and responsibility.

The second quarter provided an opportunity to put this knowledge into practice through hands-on baking experiments: making dough, measuring ingredients, preparing the oven. 

At the end of the training, the young apprentices were assessed on the theory and preparation of cookies. 

A final competition rewarded the best participants in different categories: responsibility award, best cakes and cookies award, management award.

“The response to the project exceeded all our expectations. The cookies were a huge hit with the 183 children at the center, the parents expressed their confidence, and an atmosphere of encouragement was created!” Sr Maria

Salma's story perfectly illustrates the impact of the project: winner of the competition thanks to the exceptional quality of her products, she became a trainer for the other participants and, thanks to an advance loan, was able to open a small shop serving her disadvantaged neighborhood.

Beyond the numbers, it is the personal transformation of the 15 young female pastry apprentices that marks the success of the project.

"The most important thing is the change in the young women's mindset and the restoration of their self-esteem as women, their role in society, and the value of teamwork.

Your generosity has been "the icing on the cake" of our hopes! Today, our young women are not only baking cookies, they are building their future and that of their community. On behalf of all the beneficiaries, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this gift that will continue to bear fruit." Sr Maria