To help pay for utilities, groceries and pocket money for her grandchildren, Madam Rusnah Sajee joined a programme by a local charity that enables her to bake snacks for sale.
Madam Rusnah, 59, is part of Bakers Beyond, an initiative by Beyond Social Services that gathers women from rental flat neighbourhoods and helps them to source for baking projects and kitchen space with equipment.
There are currently eight women involved, aged between 40 and 59, who also learn business skills and baking techniques from volunteers.
Some women who have left the programme are now doing food-related businesses elsewhere, such as running their own food stalls.
Bakers Beyond, now in its sixth year, officially opened its own baking facility on Monday.
The new 61 sq m facility in Whampoa Drive has commercial equipment such as convection ovens, cake mixers, stainless steel work counters, chillers and freezers.
Previously, the women used kitchens at different locations, such as in baking facilities run by other charities.
Madam Rusnah, who had a stroke in September last year that affected the right side of her body, has not fully regained her strength.
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$60
What each woman contributes a day to use Bakers Beyond's new 61 sq m facility to bake snacks for sale.
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Bakers Beyond, an initiative by Beyond Social Services, is now in its sixth year. It officially opened its own baking facility - which has commercial equipment such as chillers, freezers, convection ovens and cake mixers - on Monday.
She is thankful for the new premises as she no longer has to move from one kitchen to another. The new equipment also makes it easier to work on larger-scale projects.
"It was very tiring taking things around previously, and having to pack everything up quickly before leaving," she said.
Each woman contributes $60 a day to use the space whenever they have orders, and they get to keep all the profits from the sale of the baked goods.
Madam Rusnah said she earns an average of $500 from each project, which goes towards supporting her family.
She is a single parent to four children after her divorce more than 20 years ago, and helps to take care of her grandchildren, especially the two children of her 37-year-old daughter, who is also a single mother.
"It is tiring, but also motivating to see the success after every project, and I hope other women can join to also experience the success," said Madam Rusnah.
She is currently working on Christmas cookies such as gingerbread, shortbread and sugar cookies.
Other projects the women take on include snacks for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali.
Beyond Social Services executive director Gerard Ee said: "We are hoping that with this expansion, we will be able to reach out to more individuals in the Whampoa vicinity."
The facility will also be a place for recipe discussions, training sessions and workshops.
