Host-Baking Equipment for Sisters in Gabon

The Poor Clare Sisters in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, are nothing if not resourceful. When the ancient mixing machine they rely on for their host-baking enterprise breaks down yet again, they make do with a paint-mixing machine instead.

Their baking machinery, being 40 years old, is heavy and hard to manipulate, and over half the Sisters are already suffering from shoulder and back pain as a result of this. Some of them, in fact, can no longer manage the hard work. Besides, the hosts often break up when they are removed from the forms, thereby wasting the precious flour that is so expensive in this African country. And cutting out the hosts by hand is also difficult and time-consuming.

In short, the convent needs new equipment, since the demand for hosts is growing steadily, and the Poor Clares can scarcely keep up as it is. But not all the available equipment is suitable for their particular situation. Given the frequent power outages, they need to be able to heat the baking plates rapidly, so that the baking process is not interrupted. Additionally, the machinery needs to use as little power as possible to keep the cost as low as possible, so that the parishes can still afford them, while, at the same time, enabling the Sisters to support themselves at least partially through their work.

It will cost approximately $23,400 to provide them with the efficient host-baking equipment they need. Anything you can give will make life easier for these hardworking Sisters.

119-06-39