CRI听力:Crazy Bake

"So these are our offices and there are the rooms where the nurses and doctors are and this is a small kiosk..."

Natscha Prigge is a volunteer helper at the Chaoyang Mental Health Care Centre in eastern Beijing.

The hospital is home to around 200 patients suffering from problems like depression, schizophrenia and dementia.

Natscha has been coming here for around seven years and has helped make many improvements

"This is also something we purchased, this roof and the seats because the patients wanted to be outside in summer when there is good weather and this is also something we just refurbished the solar system so they have hot water all year long."

But the greatest change can be seen in the kitchen

It's here patients are trained to make bread. But not just any bread.

Mr Lv is the head chef.

"The bread's completely natural and organic. We use good quality wholemeal flour which is high in fiber. It also contains sesame and sunflower seeds and that's it, except for a bit of salt. There's nothing else. Its very natural and organic."

The idea is that teaching patients a skill can improve their self confidence, provide an important connection with the outside world, and even earn a little money

Dominic: Do you like the bread?

Mr Jin: "Yes, I like it very much!"

Mr Jin is one of several patients at the hospital that speaks some English. He says the bakery's transformed their lives

"Before the bake room we usually every day had nothing to do. Only smoking or playing poker. That's not a good life. When the bakery was set up, the bake room activity brought us plenty of time to enjoy our work and life and that's a very important and meaningful thing for us."

Patients are given as much responsibility as possible when making bread and even buy ingredients themselves.

Natascha Prigge says this form of charity is showing results.

"I think some of the patients had depression quite regularly, once or twice a year, and I think they don't have this any more and I think they are a little bit happier or back to a normal life now."

The kitchen produces around 200 loaves of bread a week.

After being individually wrapped.

The bread's then delivered by car.

Eduwings Kindergarten in Beijing is a regular customer.

Maria Seemel is the head of the school.

"Through buying this bread we can help this organisation and help these people to make something and earn their own money. And the other thing is, it's really delicious."

Crazy Bake in Beijing is just one of several similar charities across China helping society's disadvantaged build self confidence through learning skills. And producing great bread.

For CRI, I'm Dominic Swire.