Baking, home skills benefit nurse, helpers

She worked as a nurse in a small company but when she heard about a scholarship offer for cooking and other basic livelihood skills, Nora Urgel knew she couldn’t pass it up.

“Even if I don’t have the finances, I could pass my skills on to others,” said Urgel, one of 50 recipients of the basic skills training course at the Banilad Center for Professional Development in Cebu City.

The course was sponsored by the Georich Livelihood and Learning Foundation Inc. (GLLFI) in partnership with the Zonta Club of Cebu I.

Both groups are committed to equipping women with basic livelihood training in cooking, baking and housekeeping.

“Charity begins at home,” said Felisa Yap Chiongban of GLLFI. Most of the beneficiaries are helpers from their own households. A few family members also joined.

“Aron ang mga babaye ibutang sa pedestal dili daog-daogon kay kung wala ang mga babaye, walaý pamilya (So the women would be placed on a pedestal, not put down because without them there’s no family),¨Chiongban said.

Zonta Club of Cebu 1 President Lucille Colina said they were invited by GLLFI to join the program since it dovetails with their advocacy of empowering women.

“Most of our beneficiaries are from the poorest of the poor. We also sent our cooks and laundrywomen so hopefully they won’t be helpers all their lives,” Colina said.

Aside from a love for baking, Urgel said she availed of the course so she could replicate it.

¨I plan to coordinate with our parish to conduct seminars about it and perhaps they could build their own small business from the skills I’ll share,” she added.

Banilad Center Director Elizabeth Lopez said 50 students graduated from the course that started April 22 and ended May 3.

The cakes and other baking goods prepared during the graduation were served in a merienda with members of the Chiongbian family and Zonta Club of Cebu.

“No man is an island. All of those who graduated should also help others,” Chiongban said.