The Road Less Traveled

Written by TWB's Development Intern, Nichole Crust. 

I love women, baking, and entrepreneurship so when I was looking for an internship and found out about The Women’s Bakery (TWB) the organization seemed like a natural fit. I dug a bit deeper into their founders and model and was honestly skeptical. I wondered what a few white girls without business and baking experience could possibly have to teach Rwanda about health and economic development let alone baking?

The answer surprised me.

I’m so excited to be interning for The Women’s Bakery this summer. My internship started with a two-week trip to Rwanda. I landed in Kigali early on Monday and hit the ground running. Noel, the Country Director graciously picked me up from airport and whisked me away to TWB’s headquarters to meet the Rwanda team and learn more about TWB’s work by attending the team’s weekly meeting.

From my first interactions with the team, their drive and determination to intentionally and holistically impact the lives of women and their families was obvious. My first encounter was a conversation about fire wood and oven temperatures. The group was passionately discussing the best solutions to address problems with oven temperatures, costs of fire wood, lack of fire wood, and alternative fuel sources for their ovens. It seemed like a trivial issue, but it was complex and complicated.

TWB’s administration (which is the most positive and proactive administration I have encountered) approached the task of finding a solution with a holistic approach that not only considered the bottom line for TWB’s budget, but also considered the overall health and well-being of the bakery staff. It was beautiful to witness this team so naturally and intentionally solve this problem in a way the considered the greater good.

I saw this style of administration and problem solving played out again and again as a I visited each of the TWB’s bakeries. At TWB’s Kagina bakery I was struck by the forthcoming way an internal conflict was approached. A new employee who was also new to the city and a new job as a baker in a new organization was navigating the social relationships with other women bakers.

Instead of the issue being ignored, it was acknowledged and a conversation that lead led to a real understanding of each other was facilitated. Understanding the important role of food in problem solving, the women were treated to “tea” to continue to resolve the issue.

The work of TWB is not easy and its approach is on the road less traveled. However, TWB’s methods are effective and working to create systemic sustainable impact in the lives of its employees and their families.

It's Going to Go Big

Written by Jill Ritchot, Intern for TWB

In November 2017, I finalized plans to volunteer with The Women’s Bakery in Rwanda. My excitement was palpable. As part of the MovingWorlds Institute fellowship program that had begun in June, I had spent months looking for the right project fit. Suddenly everything had fallen into place; an impactful opportunity to work with and for women, join an engaged and dynamic team, and offer my communications and marketing skills.

I exhaled a deep sigh of relief and felt the eagerness and nervousness begin to bubble up as I thought about what the next few months would bring. I was intrigued by the organization’s mission, had spoken to Heather and Meg, and wanted to learn more. As my departure date approached, I couldn’t wait to see, how is bread powerful?

I stepped off the plane in Kigali at the end of January to begin my three-month project, aiming to create a communications and marketing strategy for the new flagship café. I felt inspired to be jumping in at such an exciting time as the bakery and office moved to the new flagship location and café renovations began. In my first discussions with Meg and Fran on arrival, I quickly saw that it was a fast-paced and lively environment with a diverse, adaptable, and passionate team.

I started by meeting with team members to learn more about who they see as The Women’s Bakery’s customers and what they see as the future of the organization. I was immediately moved by what I heard, “the future is bright”; “it’s going to go big”; “our bread is for everyone”; “when I started, I was teaching the women, now they are teaching me”. I felt fueled to keep digging in and learning more about The Women’s Bakery and our customers.

Together, Fran, Rachel and I conducted market research at three bakery locations.

We began by talking to the people who know our customers best – the women who bake and sell The Women’s Bakery bread every day.  I quickly learned how varied the customers were from location to location and the key differences between what Rwandans and expats look for when buying bread. We continued to build on the team’s and women’s knowledge by doing interviews, surveys, and focus groups with current and potential future customers to explore more. What we discovered is that while there is a lot of diversity in who buys The Women’s Bakery bread, there are also some clear uniting preferences: taste, nutrition, and freshness. That, and much more, is exactly what The Women’s Bakery offers.

I got the chance to see how the women bake the delicious, nutritious and fresh bread every day when I joined the team in the kitchen to learn how to make it. The women’s expertise and confidence in what they do and their patience as they taught us was inspiring. Although we don’t all speak the same language, the joy, laughter, and strength in the kitchen that day both humbled and invigorated me.  It is not just bread rising in the bakery; it is community and empowerment.

As I come towards the end of my time with The Women’s Bakery and armed with our growing customer knowledge, I am working on a variety of marketing tools and strategies with Fran to get the message out. Loud. We are strong women baking bread. Our bread is packed with vitamins, nutrients, and protein.  And in my time in Kigali, I have seen that a loaf of bread truly can inspire, nourish communities, and spark economies.

Now that’s bread power.

Baking More Than Bread

by Nalani Tiscareno, TWB Summer Intern

A student at Texas A&M, I had a serious misconception about what it meant to go to college. I was convinced that college was going to be the easiest, most fun, most liberating time of my life. Although college has been many of those things, there is a more difficult side to it that no one often tells you about.

There comes a time, somewhere in the middle of the experience, where you may go through a phase of self-realization, where you question things you once knew to be true, including yourself.

I was in the middle of that phase when The Women’s Bakery came into my life. I was questioning my decision to further my education, not knowing if I had made the right choice. Then, I attended an event held by the TWB Texas A&M Chapter, and I realized why I had decided to go to university. I was so moved by the stories about women coming together to build a community of empowered individuals. I gained immense perspective by learning about the women involved with TWB. Their will to do pursue opportunity and do the best for themselves and their family greatly inspired me.

Quickly, I fell in love with everything that The Women’s Bakery stands for. After hearing the speech that Heather gave, I knew why I had decided to go to college. I was empowering myself. I knew I needed to get involved and help spread the word about the wonderful things that this organization is doing and so, that’s how my summer internship got started.

I had the amazing opportunity to represent The Women’s Bakery at Hope Farmer’s Market in Austin, Texas. Every weekend, I set up a booth and sell sweet potato bread dry bread mixes, as well as zucchini, carrot, and sweet potato muffins. It was an amazing summer, as I got to spend time in my favorite city, as well as advocate such an incredible cause.

The Women’s Bakery was widely accepted in Austin, and I was moved by how much everyone was wanting to get involved and learn about the cause. Every Saturday I baked TWB bread and then on Sunday, made my way from College Station to Austin.

It was definitely challenging at times. The challenges gave me a knew found respect for the women involved in the program. They bake and sell bread every day, and yet somehow make it happen. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to get the word out about what The Women’s Bakery stands for. I hope that I was able to inspire someone, just as I was inspired.

I am a woman, who in seeking self-empowerment in the form of education and The Women’s Bakery, could realize my worth, and my will to move forward in life.

The Women’s Bakery truly bakes more than just bread, it builds and encourages women to empower themselves, and helps them realize that they’ve always had the power to do so.

Here's Why

Written by Julie Kinsella, TWB Summer Intern

During this past year, I spent hours and hours reading through countless mission statements on a about a million of NGO websites in search of a summer internship. There I was, scrolling through my google search “women’s economic empowerment organizations” in search of an organization that somehow clicked. Mission statements blurred together, organizations seemed indistinguishable, and I was losing faith that I would find an organization that excited me. (I think we all know where I’m going with this).

Until! Low and behold!

The Women’s Bakery was next on my list!

What stood out about TWB was that their model is focused on creating long-lasting opportunities for women through training in a specific skill, while building and maintaining strong social and professional relationships with the women they train. The TWB team is genuinely interested in the success of each women in their program. Here’s why. Instead of turning to historical “Band-Aid” approaches of development, TWB offers opportunities for women to transform their lives.

TWB looks at the larger picture. Instead of seeing one women as succeeding in the program as a token for future funding, the team knows that one woman's success is never just one woman’s success, but the success of many. Women are more likely than men to use income to support and better their family. So, when a woman is given an income, her entire family and her community reaps the benefits. A woman who has an income has more opportunity to participate in the community, take on leadership opportunity, and essentially climb up Maslow’s Hierarchy.

Of course, many of you have heard this repeatedly. Investment in women is investment in the future well-being of the world. The team at TWB, not only understands, believes, and supports gender-based development, but uses this idea as the driving force for everything they do. When thinking of all the development-focused organizations out there, it is clear to me now why TWB stood out to me for this reason. They not only have proof in their system and success in their programs, they are driven by the power women have to advance themselves, their families, and their communities.

I leave TWB in a week proud to carry with me the lessons I have learned from this incredible organization into my future.

Transcending Culture

Written by TWB Intern, Emily Sturtavant. 

For the past four months I have been traveling throughout East Africa with a study abroad program. My travels began in August; as I started my experience living abroad, I had a base knowledge of the area, limited understanding of the local languages and a yet, a hunger to learn about the lives and cultures of the region. Visiting both Kenya and Tanzania, I now have had the opportunity to intern with The Women's Bakery in Rwanda.

During this time I have begun to realize the importance and power of shared moments.

On my first day working with TWB, I had to opportunity to bake bread with TWB women. I was excited to spend time with TWB bakers and get a chance to bake, one of my favorite hobbies. Yet, with my inadequate knowledge (read: absolutely zero) of Kinyarwanda I couldn’t ask how to make something or what I could do to help.

Baking, however, is something that transcends culture and language. It’s something that needs only showing, no telling, to share the activity. I watched as the women carefully cut and weighed the dough before splitting the pieces in half. Then I helped to roll two pieces out into long snakes before twisting them together into the delicious honey twist I had eaten earlier this morning. Throughout the next couple of hours I helped mix, knead, twist and bake the bread that is the base of this business. 

I can say that I have learned a little Kinyarwanda since my first day here, but I still communicate with the women who work here mostly through smiles and high fives getting my point across just fine in the process. Baking transcends these barriers and I am grateful for this opportunity to learn this with TWB in Rwanda.

Interning with Team TWB

Written by Jordan Smith, TWB's Research Impact Analyst, University of Denver

I participated in the Posner Center for International Development’s annual challenge, Posner Poverty Hack, in July of 2016 where I had the privilege to work on behalf of The Women’s Bakery in an effort to earn a grant to implement a mobile app for sales in their East African bakeries.

The fusion of non-profit operations with for-profit bakeries was exactly the development model I was hoping to gain more insight into, and so I soon after joined their team for a 4-month internship. 

Since late August, I have been working on both social and financial impact analysis.

With the start of their first bakery in Rwanda, I have been tracking sales and production numbers to see the positive direction the Remera, Kigali bakery is growing in. I have compiled reports demonstrating TWB’s social impact with their program participants. In addition, I designed a template for a bakery operations manual using my previous work experience that serves to streamline future expansion.

Working with this team, I have learned that even incremental, positive change is a step in the right direction. Working with women to develop a social-enterprise that provides sustainable employment opportunities for women has the tremendous potential for impact in developing countries, especially in East Africa.

While my internship with TWB is coming to a close, it has provided me with the ongoing challenge of seeing development from a different angle. I am anxious to witness TWB’s success with their current and future programs. I graduate in June 2017 from the University of Denver and, while the future may still be uncertain, I am incredibly grateful to the team at TWB for everything they have taught me. I look forward to seeing them grow in both East Africa and Denver and St. Louis – and beyond!