Jerry Tebogo Marobyane understands what it is to be homeless. For a brief period as a child, he lived on the streets of Soweto. By the time Marobyane turned 15, he’d fled the country to become a soldier during apartheid. Four years later, he lost his arm in an explosion. When Marobyane returned to South Africa, apartheid had ended, but he saw the hardships facing his community. In Soweto, food is scarce and unemployment is plentiful. But with his bakery, Marobyane is ensuring no one misses a meal.
“It became important for me to better the lives of the homeless when seeing kids going to school on an empty stomach,” Marobyane says. The Mkate Bread Foundation is an initiative providing affordable and nutritious meals for people experiencing homelessness. Based in Kliptown, the bakery was established by Tomek Wysokiński and he invited Marobyane to Poland for professional training. Here, Marobyane learnt everything there is to know about managing an artisanal bakery, from using the equipment to recruiting a team of staff.
When he bakes, Marobyane is restoring the human right to adequate food. “It is important to help the community because the community needs dedicated and passionate people,” he says. The comforting aroma of sourdough bread and pastries now permeate Kliptown, welcoming people from all walks of life. “My aim is not only to see the children of Soweto having their lives changed, but to see change in the children of South Africa,” Marobyane says.
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