Sophie's Story
By Sara Ralphs
Meet Sophie, one of the rescued women living in our Azadi safe home, seen above with her 3 year old son Joshua.
“I have been a student of the Heart of Baking classes for many months now and I have personally noticed a big transformation in my life. When the classes first started I felt like it was too hard and I would never be able to learn such complicated recipes because I didn’t know how to take measurements or how to do the math required for doubling or halving recipes and so on.
‘However, there was one particular baking trainer, Neha Didi [meaning ‘older sister Neha’], who was extremely patient with me and took great interest in making sure I learned something new every day. Even when I made mistakes with the recipes and measurements, she would not give up on me and she still gave me opportunities to do the steps again and learn from my mistakes. Because of her encouragement, as the training went on my confidence levels started to improve and I began to believe that maybe I too could bake, and with that confidence came the knowledge that I could one day provide for myself and Joshua.”
Sophie came to our care after being rescued from human trafficking. Prior to The Freedom Project entering her life, the horrors she faced were unimaginable and beyond dehumanizing. The life she leads now is so different to the one she lived only a year ago. Today her life is filled with joy, baking and education: learning literacy, numeracy and even how to run a small business through the Heart Of Baking program.
Sophie and one of her favourite dishes; veggie rolls!
The Heat of Baking program provides work and vocational training to the previously-trafficked women living in our safe home, giving them employable skills so they can one day live a self-sufficient life once leaving our care.
“I have learnt so much since coming to the safe home and getting to work for the Heart of Baking. My favourite dishes to make and to taste are the cinnamon scrolls and veggie rolls. I really enjoy working at our bakery, it’s the first time in my life that I’ve been able to make a wage of my own!
'So now, even on the days where the recipe does not work out and things don’t go according to plan, I try my best not to lose hope but to stay focused on re-doing tasks till I finish them well.
“I am so happy to see the change in my own attitude: I have now found joy, confidence and hope.”
‘Living in Azadi, I am glad my son, Joshua, gets the opportunity to see me happy and doing something I enjoy. Feeling that sense of fulfilment from my work also helps me to best mother that I can be for him. The flexibility with my hours means I can spend enough time with Joshua and be there for him when he needs me. This way I do not miss out on this important phase of his childhood while still having the opportunity to practice my craft and develop my skills.
‘When I think about my own future, I don’t especially have a dream to start my own bakery but I am definitely interested in working in other bakeries if the opportunity comes my way. I also hope to share what I have learned with other women like me. Women who have been able to put so much fear and hopelessness behind them, and want to put hard work and hope in front of them. Watching my baking trainers teach has inspired me to do the same for those less fortunate than I am, so that they too can find the self-assurance, joy and hope that I have found through this baking training program.”
Sophie and her beautiful boy Joshua are now on a new trajectory thanks to the generosity and support of our many donors.
To read more about the Heart of Baking Program, click here
