Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
Whole Planet Foundation supports entrepreneurs in the developing world by partnering with local microfinance institutions (MFIs) that offer small business loans to the very poor. In Honduras, we are partnered with Adelante Foundation in the provinces of Choluteca, Atlántida and Colon. We recently traveled to Honduras and met with borrowers we support in their homes to talk with them about their experience with microcredit and to see the tangible impact it is having on their lives. Below are stories of the women we met.
We recently traveled to the northern coast of Honduras and visited four of the borrowers we support in the Garifuna community of Guadalupe. Each woman invited us into her home, showed us her business and talked to us about her experience with microcredit. See their stories below and watch their video.
To all you foodies out there—Whole Planet Foundation and Whole Foods Market's fl@vors have partnered to create ethnic recipes, featuring traditional foods from the regions where the borrowers we support live and work. Taste and share the same foods as our borrowers eat in their daily lives and bring a piece of their reality into your kitchen. Look for a new recipe to be featured quarterly in the fl@vors and Whole Planet Foundation e-newsletters and on our site.
Our Pan de Coco recipe was inspired by Euceria Bernardez, a baker and Whole Planet Foundation supported borrower, who lives in the Caribbean coastal village of Guadalupe, Honduras. Euceria’s pan de coco bread is a regional staple and her bread-making business is the livelihood of her family.
This Honduran staple, which is somewhat like a plump dinner roll, is delicious served alongside a meal of rice, beans and fried plantains. Or enjoy a roll simply with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon.
Makes 8
Put coconut, sugar, yeast and water into a small non-reactive bowl and stir briefly. Set aside until mixture is swollen and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, coconut milk and butter. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, stir until well combined.
Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead, dusting with more flour as necessary, until soft and elastic, 5 to 6 minutes. Form dough into a ball, dust generously all over with flour and transfer to a clean large bowl. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to let rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. Arrange balls of dough on a large greased baking sheet, spacing them 3 to 4 inches apart. Set aside in a warm spot, uncovered, to let rise until doubled in size again, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake bread until deep golden brown and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or set aside to let cool to room temperature.
Per serving (about 3oz/96g-wt.): 260 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 6g protein, 44g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 10mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium
In our recent trip to Honduras, we visited some of the borrowers we support in the southern region of Choluteca, one of the most economically depressed regions of the country. We visited several rural villages where our borrowers live and run their businesses. See their stories below.
Euceria Bernardez (bread-maker, inspiration for pan de coco recipe, WPF borrower)"La ganancia es el pan de cada día"- My salary is our daily bread.
