Training Begins!

On February 17, TWB launched its official bakery training in Bukoba, Tanzania with BUWEA (Bukoba Women’s Empowerment Association), a local women’s co-op with over 450 members throughout the region. Over the next 3 months, 20 BUWEA members will be trained in all aspects of beginning and maintaining small bakeries-- a main bakery in town and several branches and distribution centers in rural villages. The 20 trainees attend two or three 7-hour seminars a week, depending on their future roles in the bakeries.

After only two weeks, or 28-35 hours of training, the women have soared through sessions on TWB Mission & Vision, Creating A Bakery Culture, Hygiene, Introduction to Cost of Goods, Nutrition 101, Recipe Reading, Introduction to Profit & Inventory, and Baking 101. Mornings are spent in the classroom studying what we call the “theory”—the nuts and bolts of nutrition, life skills, and all things business-related (read endless math and accounting!) while afternoons are spent in the kitchen baking.

This past week, we have experimented with various Banana Bread variations, incorporating local ingredients and refining recipes to local taste and best nutritional benefit. The women learned how to construct small Dutch ovens and have successfully baked two batches of Banana Bread. TWB Trainers Markey, Julie, and Rwandan intern Doreen continue to study Kiswahili and to research local materials, ingredients, and taste preferences for a variety of breads. In our spare time, you can find us fending off monkeys or the endless stream of ants in our kitchen, or probably just eating copious amounts of bread!