During our third year of study, we were placed at Imbadu in Stellenbosch for our practical work. Imbadu is a cooperative that operates within the community, and our role as community development practitioners was to support them in implementing a bakery project.
The experience at Imbadu was both enriching and challenging. As students stepping into a real community development setting, we were able to apply the theories and principles we had learned in class. Our main focus was assisting the cooperative to get their bakery project off the ground. This included working closely with cooperative members to plan, organise, and implement activities that would bring their vision to life.
One of the key aspects of the experience was collaboration. We had to listen actively to the needs and ideas of the cooperative members, while also contributing our own knowledge and suggestions. It was a practical lesson in participatory development—ensuring that the community remained at the centre of the project. Through workshops, planning sessions, and hands-on support, we helped the Imbadu team with project planning, basic budgeting, and identifying potential markets for the bakery products.
There were challenges, such as limited resources and the need for stronger organisational structures within the cooperative. However, these difficulties taught us the importance of flexibility, patience, and working with existing community strengths rather than imposing external solutions.