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Jobs first

Inside the Joubert Park Service one morning, 30 children, ranging in age from three to six, are busy at different stations. The room is divided into areas for fantasy play with dolls and dress-up clothes, stations for math and puzzles and other areas for science, blocks, art and books. "These children are working freely, making what they want to make," explains Liza Titlestad, an artist and Montessori educator from the provincial Curriculum Development Project. "Most people assume children can't think for themselves. In fact, they are much more stimulated and creative when they can choose how to express themselves."

The caregivers in the Service meet monthly with parents, encouraging them to be involved in their children's education. The meetings are also designed to learn what parents need in order to help their families. During initial meetings, parents repeatedly highlighted their biggest concern: jobs. It became clear that the best way to help the children was to ensure that their families had steady incomes. "The idea was to help the child by helping the family," explains project coordinator Leon Mdiya. "Once they have a source of income, it is then more relevant for us to talk about the child's education and health care." So the parents conceived of the idea of opening a bakery.

A few blocks from Joubert Park, the Itsoseng ('wake yourself up') Community Bakery is catering to a steady stream of lunchtime visitors. The bakery, which was set up with support from the Urban and Rural Development Education Project, the US Wheat Board and the Open Society Foundation, serves hot lunches and will eventually sell fresh bread and other baked goods. Within one month of its May 1999 opening, the storefront was bustling with enthusiastic customers. The bakery employs 17 people, all of whom have children at the Joubert Park child-care centre. One of the parents is Catherine Bosoga, 27, whose five-year-old son takes part in the centre's activities while she bakes. Ms. Bosoga had been unemployed for five years before participating in the bakery cooperative. Noting that she is paid R200 ($33) per week, she says, "Now we have food in the house."

Ms. Bosoga motions to the queue of people waiting to buy the food that she, along with other parents, cooked this morning. "I think we are going to make it," she says.

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