The Women's Bakery 7/25/19 The Women's Bakery 7/25/19

Seasons

To everything in life there is a season. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to sow and a time to reap. For The Women’s Bakery, this year has already held many seasons.

In January, we sowed the seeds of recommitment to our social enterprise model and fully leaned into The Women’s Bakery 2.0. In February, we rolled up our sleeves and began kneading out more efficient bakery workflows and operations. These skills were honed in large thanks to Rob VanErven, baker extraordinaire, on loan from corporate partner Rademaker, BV.

In March, we celebrated the strength of women with International Women’s Day. April brought a season of remembrance for the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. May ushered in a season of honoring the mothers in our lives, especially the bread winners at The Women’s Bakery. And June brought a season of loss and sadness.

At the beginning of June, we learned from The Women’s Bakery’s first employee and Co-Founder, Julie Greene, that her time with the company was drawing to a close. The next week, our team was forced to grieve another loss - a strong bakery woman, Kayitesi, who died unexpectedly.

Both of these women embody the spirit, values, and principles of The Women’s Bakery.

To Kayitesi, we say rest in peace strong woman.

To Julie, we say thank you. Words are not enough to describe Julie’s incredible contributions to and impact on The Women’s Bakery. She has been an integral part of birthing, fostering, and building The Women’s Bakery to the place it is today. She gave her blood, sweat, and tears to ensure that the bakery women had every opportunity for gainful employment and social empowerment in their lives, and she committed herself to supplying communities with access to nutritious, affordable breads. The world is a better place because of this work. Julie, you are an incredible person. Thank you for leading us, working alongside us, and making us better. You will forever be a part of The Women’s Bakery and we will be forever grateful to and for you.

And so like The Byrds said, “To every season, [we] turn, turn, turn.”

Rachel Carroll 2/7/19 Rachel Carroll 2/7/19

Why Women?

When people ask me “Why women?” I am often perplexed, discouraged and frustrated. Are we still having this conversation? Yes, yes we are. And we must continue to have this conversation.

Working at an organization that focuses on women’s empowerment, I get asked the question a lot: why women?

In fact, the question is asked far more often than I would expect it to be. Why is your name The Women’s Bakery? Do you only help women? Why is it focused on just women? Why are you not helping men — men need jobs, too. That’s sexist. That’s not fair. That’s a limited perspective.

The questions (and comments) are posed by both men and women from many different countries of origin, with varying age, skin color, religious background, etc. These conversations range in intensity — from light-hearted and non-threatening comments to borderline-aggressive arguments where I am compelled to explain in very clear terms — working specifically with women is important.

Women often have less access to or are even forbidden from, education. For example, UNESCO estimates that 130 million girls between the ages of 6 and 17 are not currently attending school, and 15 million girls of primary-school age will never enter a classroom at all.
Women have fewer opportunities than men in most places. According to the UNDP, an estimated $95 billion a year is lost from economies in sub-Saharan Africa each year because women have lower participation in the paid labor force.
Women earn less than men for the same work. In the United States, on average, women make $0.80 on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. The gender wage gap is even wider for women of color.

And yet the reality of women’s empowerment is not mutually exclusive to men’s success.

I believe in empowering women because I have been taught to see poverty as the absence of choice. When that absence of choice is compounded with the absence of opportunity, women are especially disadvantaged, specifically when it comes to acquiring sustainable, gainful employment.

At The Women’s Bakery, we seek to meaningfully close this gap. Our model is to train women in business and baking, launch women-run bakeries, and provide communities with affordable, nutritious bread. At the same time, as a business, we are investing in and thereby bolstering the local economy. Because of this, we are able to create an eco-system of change with levels of impact ranging from the women in the bakeries to the women and girls in the communities — and even to other women, like local shop owners, running businesses in the places that we run bakeries.

Baker at The Women’s Bakery in Kigali preparing the signature Honey Twist, a highly nutritious, locally affordable bread sold daily.

When the opportunity is available, women rise to the occasion. The women in our bakeries can double or even quadruple their pre-bakery incomes. In January alone, the women in our Kigali bakery made and sold over 2,500 pieces of bread. Most of them have multiple children to care for. They are the primary breadwinners (pun intended) for their families, and with skills and employment, they are changing the landscape of their futures and the futures of their children. It is what we like to call “bread power”.

When people ask me “Why women?” I am often perplexed, discouraged and frustrated. Are we still having this conversation? Yes, yes we are. And we must continue to have this conversation.

Female advocacy is necessary. It’s not in competition or opposition to the success of men in our society; it’s simply advocacy for leveling the playing field and ensuring that we benefit from sources of talent, creativity, and profit across the board. Many political and social systems still restrict women’s access to achieve what’s possible for them. But women are strong. The women in our bakeries are not just bakers or business women, they are strong women baking bread.

Still, there’s more to be done. There needs to be a continuation of the global conversation — women must be empowered so that we can continue to grow as a global community. Men and women should both be encouraged to have goals and dreams and there needs to be equal opportunity to meet them. Men and women should be standing together to improve their local economies, provide for their families, and make the world better than they found it.

As I continue to be asked the question, “Why are you empowering women?” I will continue to posit that we have no other choice. Why women? Because we need women to have an established platform for using their strong, intelligent, resilient voices. We need women at the table, having the important conversations, and buying into the creation and implementation of sustainable solutions to the world’s most difficult challenges. We need women innovating, thinking, investing, driving, impacting. We need women. That is why women.

This blog was initially published on another platform by team member Rachel Carroll. It is published here with her permission.

Markey Culver 1/11/19 Markey Culver 1/11/19

The Women's Bakery 2.0

For me, our fifth year marks the beginning of a new chapter for us: The Women’s Bakery 2.0.

2019 will be our fifth official year. I can hardly believe it as I write this. Five years!

For me, our fifth year marks the beginning of a new chapter for us: The Women’s Bakery 2.0. When I said this to Hilary, our Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) last week, she laughed and said, “I think it’s more like TWB 7.0.” And really, in many ways she is correct. Our journey up to this point has been a series of iterations – design, implement, tweak, repeat. These iterations, while tiring and often discouraging, have gotten us closer to where we are today, and closer to a tried and true model that works.

We started in 2014 with a dream – to build women-powered bakeries in East Africa. In many ways our dream has become a reality, and 2019 will serve to be the year of shoring up the stability of this dream.

To start, we have clearer direction in our mission – to build a women-centric social enterprise that gainfully employs women and provides access to quality breads in East Africa – which will aide better role designations, expectations and task execution. We have more tangible (and, frankly, attainable) goals – to enhance company culture, to socially and economically empower women, and to achieve profitability at our existing bakeries – which will aide in streamlining our operations and celebrating our successes.

We are recommitting ourselves to social enterprise, meaning we continue to place equal weight on social impact and financial return. Social enterprise is a balancing act and we are constantly re-calibrating. Often the for-profit and non-profit threads pull against each other, creating an ever-shifting landscape to equilibrate. But we’re inching closer and closer, harmonizing both sectors in small but powerful ways. That is why social enterprise is so important today – in a world that is seemingly increasingly polarized between profit and philanthropy, we are proving that business can and should be used as a tool for social good.

We have such a strong team – women at our bakeries, staff in our offices, interns, donors, and volunteers – and I am excited to watch them soar this year. I'm very proud to be part of something so much greater than myself. To be a part of a team that believes in the power of women and is committed to women’s autonomy.

So, here’s to 2019, may this be a year of hope and strength, learning and success, commitment and celebration. We couldn’t have made it this far without you. Thank you for being part of our team and helping us build our dream of women-powered bakeries throughout East Africa – bread power!

Julie Greene 12/28/18 Julie Greene 12/28/18

Eat, Dance, Laugh, Share: How TWB Does Transitions

Here’s to the continued eating, dancing, laughing, sharing of stories, and to all of team TWB!

Just a few months ago, I sat in the backyard of The Women’s Bakery Flagship in Kigali and ate, danced, laughed and shared stories of our sometimes haphazard beginnings with the first group of women we trained in Rwanda, back in 2015. I was also surrounded by TWB Rwanda team members – some new and some who had been there from very early on as we built, learned through trial and error, pivoted, and grew as a company over our first several years. I was leaving for a year-long MBA program in the UK, and was filled with the standard jumble of emotions: eager to begin something new, sad to leave a team and friends who have made Rwanda one of my homes, and excited to see how new roles and opportunities within the company would be filled. Taking several steps back from everything I have helped to build and watched grow, change, and mature for the last four years was difficult, but I am so proud of how the team continues to rise to new challenges and puts their heart into TWB, making sure that our model works to create real, sustained impact.

Last week, I again sat in the backyard of TWB’s Flagship in Kigali, and again I ate, danced, laughed, and shared stories with the team – this time to celebrate and send off Meg North. It is impossible to imagine where TWB would be today without the heart and soul of both Meg and Heather (who also recently transitioned from TWB) and the years that they poured themselves into building and shaping our model and mission. The last four years have been daunting, inspiring, challenging, and often exhausting. But there is an undeniable upward trajectory, and important lessons that have translated into greater growth and momentum for The Women’s Bakery.

I am incredibly proud of everyone who has helped bring TWB to where we are now, and I am confident that amidst these current transitions, new and old team members alike will continue to raise the bar and further develop TWB. Here’s to the continued eating, dancing, laughing, sharing of stories, and to all of team TWB!

#breadpower

The Women's Bakery 12/21/18 The Women's Bakery 12/21/18

Enriching Our World

I believe that as global citizens we must get to know and understand each other.

By Ann Baruch

My visit to Rwanda in 2018 is one of my most memorable life experiences.

Prior to the trip I knew Markey Culver well and admired her tremendously. I was eager to see The Women’s Bakery “in action” and enjoy other aspects of the country. I was drawn by the opportunity to better understand Rwanda's history and to meet people who are committed to building a strong future for their country. In addition, the chance to visit the gorillas was irresistible and the delight of a visit to a game preserve was compelling. I wanted to tour the city of Kigali and enjoy its museums and restaurants. "The land of 1000 hills” was calling to me, and I was not disappointed in any way!

I support TWB for many reasons.

I believe that people deserve a chance to be the very best that they can be.
I believe that women deserve an opportunity to develop the skills that enable them to support themselves and their children.
I believe that women have large amounts of untapped resources to contribute to the world.
I believe that those of us who are blessed with adequate resources have an obligation to share our talents and financial resources with others.
I believe that as global citizens we must get to know and understand each other.

I am inspired by the way in which the work of TWB contributes to all of these issues. I am inspired by the many ways in which Markey, and others, give so selflessly. I encourage others to give to TWB because I know that the contribution will make a basic and permanent difference in the lives of women. The empowerment of these women will inspire and provide skills and education to others. Our world is enriched by such efforts.

I hope that TWB will thrive and grow bigger and stronger. I hope that it will achieve financial security and serve as a model for other organizations. I hope that the courageous and dedicated founders will enjoy the delight of knowing what a tremendous contribution they have made to the lives of others and to the world. I salute them and say a heartfelt “thank you”.

Ruth Uwera 9/26/18 Ruth Uwera 9/26/18

Women in Change

In addition to baking skillsets, The Women’s Bakery teaches women their rights, how to advocate for them, where to go for help, and ultimately, how to claim their rights.

What an amazing opportunity to see our country rise and make changes in every angle of its sectors, whether government, private, or public.

My Rwanda is one of the countries that supports women and gives women more chances and opportunities to grow. Rwanda continues to encourage women to create more ideas and to seek support for these ideas.

Because Rwanda and its government cannot not reach every woman in the country, the private sectors are welcomed to join them and work hand in hand. Without collaboration in this capacity, Rwanda would not be where it is today.

Our one and only THE WOMEN’S BAKERY has established itself in Rwanda and has engaged in the sector of women’s empowerment. Our business is doing great things as it is impacting women’s life and the entire community. Fighting against malnutrition and creating sources of income for these women has been one of the most important women’s empowerment activities and it is working.

In addition to baking skillsets, The Women’s Bakery teaches women their rights, how to advocate for them, where to go for help, and ultimately, how to claim their rights. TWB also creates confidence in these women (especially as rights are shared and exercised), which can reduce violence within the families and even in the community.

We thank the private sector and our Government of Rwanda for understanding the value of a woman and to promote equal opportunity with men. We work and get paid so we have source of income. We take good care of our family because we know the value of our family and we have capacity to look after them. To all in Rwanda that has welcomed our business, thank you from THE WOMEN’S BAKERY IN RWANDA.

#breadpower

Ruth Uwera 5/24/18 Ruth Uwera 5/24/18

The Future is Within Us

Live longer women, live longer TWB Women, live longer TWB Team. Keep supporting them they will reach far and very far.

Breads power is real power.

When I first heard about The Women’s Bakery as a Fellow with the Global Health Corps, I thought the program was all about baking and selling bread while also improving people’s lives. Yes, that is what TWB is doing, but there are also other things happening within TWB for our women, our community, and our country at large.

TWB creates opportunities in life for the women in Rwanda by giving them knowledge with skills that also does not require you to have high level of education. TWB also creates opportunity for the women whom they educate by employing women in community bakeries so steady incomes can be earned. Then, as bakers and sellers, the women create a market by selling their product. The product is created from the opportunity, knowledge, and skills gained during training and the business launch process.

This means a lot to us as Rwandans and especially as women. When a woman is able to build self-reliance, they can take good care of their family by feeding them nutritious foods, pay their rent in the house they live in, take their kids back to school, and pay school fees on their own.

What is a happy life and what is a mothers’ joy?

It is to see future in your family and see yourself taking them in a better place to be.

TWB women have learnt this: “to be a woman means to be strong enough to depend on you own most of the time.”

The women fight but the good fight because they see trust and believe in a better future. I remind our women to: keep smiling, keep doing it, keep hoping for the best, keep struggling, keep working hard, keep being woman of power as people keep empowering you.

Live longer women, live longer TWB Women, live longer TWB Team. Keep supporting them they will reach far and very far.

Bread power it is real power.

Julie Greene 5/15/18 Julie Greene 5/15/18

The Proof is in the Women

The proof is in the bread, and in the women, and in our team. Our newly opened Flagship in Kigali is the perfect example of what we can achieve with a dedicated team, some sweat and tears, and the motivation of empowering and sustainably employing women.

The last few months at TWB Rwanda have flown by, full of successes and challenges both large and small. When asked about our model and what we are achieving, most interested listeners get it – women are benefiting from vocational education and sustainable employment, communities are benefiting from affordable access to nutritious breads, and economies are benefiting from TWB’s local sourcing and local sales.

Visible progress is sometimes slow, but it’s there. You need only look at a simple photo journey following our Kigali bakery group from training, to their first bakery location, then on to the second, and now finally to the Flagship Café, to SEE how much we have grown and accomplished since 2015. And that is only one of our four operating bakeries in Rwanda, with our fifth cohort midway through training and getting ready for bakery launch in June!

Starting with just a framework of ideas and a big vision in 2015, TWB has successfully employed over 40 Rwandans in our network bakeries and headquarter offices, and we continue to grow.

It is therefore surprising when some people don’t get it. Take one government official who asked if our bread was sold in the major grocery stores of Kigali (where, by the way, it would not be remotely affordable). Upon hearing that we sell most of our bread in the local markets (where, by the way, it is highly affordable) he proclaimed that we are clearly not a successful business and don’t belong here. Or, another official who, in response to our queries about tax breaks for small enterprises and social businesses, said we should just export our goods in order to succeed … that would defeat the purpose of improving local nutrition by making affordable products accessible to the base of the market pyramid (and it’s fresh bread?) but nevermind. Not everyone gets it. However, TWB is not deterred.

#strongwomenbakingbread #breadpower #cantstopwontstop

A TWB PHOTO STORY: FROM 2015 TO NOW