There is nothing more thrilling than tapping into your creative spirit to make the impossible possible. That is exactly what Kelvin Fomba, Uniting Distant Stars Co-Founder & Country Director, did for our catering course! When we needed an oven for our students to bake, but could not afford one, Kelvin used his available resources and innovation to build one! Below is a photo of the finished product: a charcoal-heated oven built from a repurposed upright freezer.
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| Here is Kelvin showing how this oven works. |
Kelvin insulated the inner walls and door before covering it with a metal plate, then welded the bars for the different levels of racks. The bottom is open and a charcoal pot is on the ground underneath, with a water pan placed over the charcoal to regulate the heat. This is located in well-ventilated room so no concerns for carbon monoxide.
On Wednesday, February 8th, this oven was put to work! Our co-teachers, Mrs. Annie Cooper & Mrs. Sandi Akasi, had our students mixing batter for cornbread, shortbread & pancakes. The two breads were baked in the oven, while the pancakes were cooked in a fry pan. The results were delicious! The sweet aroma coming from the oven distracted our students from the other courses, so everyone took a break to sample these tasty treats.
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| Our catering students adding & mixing the ingredients. |
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| This is young woman is receiving positive feedback. |
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| She is putting the shortbread in the pan for baking. |
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| The cornbread is in the muffin tins on the top shelf & the shortbread underneath. |
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| Looking rather tasty. The shortbread is a nice golden brown. |
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| UDS Catering Instructors (left to right), Annie & Sandi are displaying the sweet success of shortbread. |
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| This young woman is flipping pan cake over. |
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| The results of their work is tasty treats for everyone. |
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| Left to right, Kelvin, Godfrey & Patrick enjoyed every bite of these delicious goodies from our students. |
It was an exciting day for everyone because they got to witness how this inventive oven worked. The students were able to see how one of their leaders solved a “need” by working hard and using his creativity; Kelvin is an example and a leader to everyone at UDS, internationally!
Because of Kelvin’s efforts, students will be able to gain the practical experience needed for a catering career. During the next nine months they will be learning how to bake and cook different types of foods for weddings, graduations and other special events.
There is plenty more to come regarding all our courses, and we are extremely grateful for those of you who have donated in the last couple weeks. All of these funds will be used toward providing the practical tools for our students in our courses-which will include more innovations from our team!
You are stars, and your compassion and generosity empowers Liberian youth to shine brighter.
Thank you wholeheartedly for being a valued member of the Uniting Distant Stars Community!
