The Orion Job Creation, Income Generation, and Sustainable Living project aims to provide each disabled person at Orion with an opportunity to receive job specific training and enter into meaningful employment either at one of the projects or be placed in the formal sector.  Having successfully implemented the Protective Workshop project which currently employs 160 disabled workers, Orion identified a second opportunity to create employment opportunities for the disabled and also provide a much needed service to the community.  Based on a needs analysis and the obvious demand within Atlantis, Orion undertook to establish a Hot Bread Bakery.

After much preparation including the revamping of the kitchens at the Activity Centre to accommodate the specialised equipment required for baking, the Orion Bakery officially opened its doors.  The bakery currently has the capacity to bake and deliver up to 450 – 500 brown, white, whole-wheat and fancy loaves of bread per day and, employs 8 disabled persons who, under a qualified baker from the community, work in shifts assisting with preparation of bread tins, cleaning the bakery and equipment, and slicing and packaging loaves according to client requirements.

Besides generating additional income into the pockets of the employees with any excess income going towards the running of Orion, disabled individuals have an enormous sense of worth as they are making a valuable contribution to their families and their community at large by providing them with fresh bread.

Another success story for Orion!  In fact, the bakery project has been such a success that it has inspired the implementation of a second phase, which will entail the establishment of a catering service for functions undertaken after hours in the Activity Centre hall.  Watch this space for news on this…