A baker with big dreams

"Often you hear people complain that they have nothing. ‘I don&#039;t know what to do.’ I want to tell them that the Lord gave you hands to do something, a brain to think and feet to walk. Money is not everything. You can start a business without money and make money," said Annastasia //Hoeres (55) from Oranjemund."When my husband and I lived in Walvis Bay and he lost his job, every morning we walked the streets and picked up empty bottles and sold them. We started doing it with no money and we got enough money to eat. Do something, start something and the Lord will bless you."//Hoeres was born in Outjo and grew up in Khorixas. In 2012, she moved to Oranjemund after her husband got a job there.According to her, her mother believed that children should be able to do everything and taught //Hoeres to bake bread and make clothes, among other things."My mother taught us to work with our hands. We had to learn everything - ironing, cleaning and cooking. For her, there was no such thing as &#039;this is a girl&#039;s job&#039; or &#039;boys should do it&#039;. We had to learn everything."Passion for baking breadHer stepfather had a large vegetable garden in Khorixas which sustained the family, she said."We grew up in the garden and that&#039;s where my love for gardening started. I now have my own vegetable garden. I also have cuttings of succulents, which I sell at the market here in town.”Among other things, //Hoeres makes aprons which she sells at the market.However, her great passion is baking bread."When you open the oven and the smell of freshly baked bread hits you in the face, you&#039;re just happy. I enjoy baking and bake 21 small buns every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which I sell to my customers for N$5 each; all to order.“The other days I use to work in my garden, clean the house and make aprons,” //Hoeres said."My mother always said you can&#039;t bake bread if you&#039;re angry or upset. You must be cheerful and thank God while you knead the dough, otherwise the bread will not rise. My mother was right and that&#039;s why I start baking bread at 04:00 - then no one has ever made me angry," she said with a laugh.Her dream is to one day be able to bake large loaves, and in bulk."I want to open a small café with a soup kitchen. Then I want to bake for the shops and people in town as well as for the soup kitchen. The soup will be made from the vegetables from my garden and no child will go hungry."

A baker with big dreams

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-10

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A baker with big dreams

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-10

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