Interning with Team TWB
"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."
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!
