Abahuje

Back in Denver, where I grew up, fall is a time of breezy temperatures, changing leaf colors, and pumpkins. Since joining the team at The Women’s Bakery, I’m delighted to say that my fall has instead been full of a bit more rain and a lot more bread. Pumpkin bread, of course.

Also with the onset of fall, our East Africa team has officially launched training with 15 women from Kigali! The start of our two-phased program is taking place at a church compound (inclusive of a training center and school) not far from Rwanda’s national stadium known as Amahoro. These women come from different parts of Kigali (many originally from outside the city) with the hope of gaining access to education, skills, and opportunity.

Uniquely so, our first Kigali-based training unites two groups of women together. 10 women are a women’s group associated with the host church, while the others were connected to us through a long-time friend of The Women’s Bakery and have been supported by a group of parents and students from The Westover School. With high spirits, the women have taken to each other quickly and openly! The first day, they sat together as one group as they learned about the curriculum and program that The Women’s Bakery brings.

A spirit of curiosity and engagement was obvious; women asked questions about how to stay on top of the concepts studied and how to apply them to their lives. On day two, our facilitators entered into our first batch of lessons: Values, Thinking & Learning Styles, and Nutrition.  

A heavy day of worksheets, explanation, and self-reflection, the women remained undeterred and enthused.

At the close of the week, two incredible evidences of purpose revealed themselves.

For one, when discussing a potential group name and the values they would adopt as a team, they chose the name Abahuje; meaning unity. This was of course followed by a 10-minute dance session to sing their name, Abahuje, loud and proud!

And two, as the night was winding down from day one, I received a text message from a friend of a training participant. It read, in reference to the woman’s involvement in the training –

She is so excited to be involved. She says it is so nice to be a part of something meaningful. She has never been to school before.

It’s certainly a new season for The Women’s Bakery and it’s encouragement like this that drives, propels, and motivates us further to work alongside these women for change.

Woman of the Week - Flavia

““Life is hard,” she remarks, “and so I seek to help them to build their livelihoods. Even if it’s a small difference.” ”

— Flavia

This past week, The Women's Bakery East Africa Team found ourselves in Kayonza - banana land, two hours East of Kigali (the capital).  We were in a red, stuffy room at a children’s educational development center that women's co-op leader, Flavia, had helped initiate and get off the ground. This, in addition, to the other roles she has played as a leader in the Kayonza community; the more I learned about Flavia, the more dynamic she appeared to be.

We started the conversation and my, how we talked. 

But don’t be fooled, we danced too. Of course. Always, always dancing in Rwanda.

The traditional Rwandan dancing came after our arrival and being introduced with the group of women Flavia helped to organize. Each women shared their name and their home village. Some came in beautiful fabrics found only in these corners of the world, and as each woman presented themselves, I remembered how each one has a story. Each one has a vision. How humbling and grateful I am to work for an organization that blends these stories together for change. .

We told them of what we do, of the training we have completed in other parts of Rwanda and Tanzania, and our vision for women, bread, and business. The women – attentive, excited, and numerous – listened and asked questions. We spoke of the materials for training needed, the kinds of lessons we teach, and the process of what happens after the training is completed. We explained that because of the informational nature of this meeting, our team wanted to better understand if the Kayonza cooperative was ready, compatible, and able to consider seriously entering the process for TWB training.

This is the general process we have as an organization currently– to begin a training, it is important to meet, discuss, share, and negotiate how it would work for each group. Every women’s group that we meet and partner with is different, and the question of commitment and feasibility is always on our minds.

As our team meets with different potential partners, groups, and women, we realize and recognize that the discussions and process are truly a building process. Empowerment, education, and transformational change don’t just happen overnight. It’s a relationship, it’s a discussion, and we are excited to begin those conversations with this specific group in Kayonza.

Moving forward will be dependent on numerous variables, largely funding, timing, and logistics, and yet, the opportunity persists; the need remains. It’s a gap in the world that we are driven by – women’s empowerment – and this group in Kayonza (along with Flavia) was a reminder that because the need remains, we are able to offer opportunity and choice as market-based solutions. That, we believe, is bread power.

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Our woman of the week is Flavia.

Flavia, a leader who is seeking, eyes opened wide, for access and opportunity for her women’s group. Demonstrating what strong advocacy looks like, the conversation for a potential group match would never have begun if she had not initiated the initially small, light-hearted discussion a few weeks back on a sun-soaked bus ride into Kigali.

As an organization, we appreciate women like Flavia, as these are the women who are changing, renewing, and innovating their communities – more and more, we hope with bread.

For the entirety of the story on Flavia, please visit Heather Newell's personal blog 'Ikundayou' at: https://ikundayou.wordpress.com/

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Flavia, pictured right in red & black dress, poses with her co-operative women, with Meg & Heather in Kayonza.

The Power of Education – One Woman’s Mission to Train Women of the World

Kigali, Rwanda

When we think about teachers, we often forget the impact they have on the number of students throughout their lifetime. This number can reach into the hundreds, or even thousands. The messages they craft and the lessons they deliver can have a profound effect on the next generation.

One teacher, curriculum developer, and empowerment implementer in particular, Anne Marie, inspired the Women’s Bakery team this past month in Kigali.

Over a meeting in Kicukiro at J. Lynn’s (a premier bakery in Kigali specializing in bagels!), our team learned about the work Anne Marie is involved with. She has spent the last 20 years working in Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo teaching groups of women business skills.

Currently, Anne Marie is a Project Manager and Master Trainer at Akazi Kanoze, an initiative sponsored by Education Development Center. The project delivers comprehensive entrepreneurship trainings that include basic business skills, personal development, life skills (hygiene), and work-readiness curriculum. Anne Marie told us that most recently, the project curriculum had been fully adapted and worked into the national school curriculum for Entrepreneurship courses at the secondary level in Rwanda. This is expected to be transformative for students that will begin to receive this new curriculum – it will help them fit better into the current economic and development picture of Rwanda.

In addition to Akazi Kanoze, Anne Marie worked for 13 years with Duterimbere, an organization established in 1987 to lead women in socio-economic equality. The history is fascinating – it can be read here. The Duterimbere project was sponsored initially by the Women’s World Bank!

The Women’s Bakery was excited to meet with Anne Marie and is looking forward to her ongoing mentorship. She is not only incredibly passionate, but also well versed in designing and delivering business curriculum to women. It is the dedication and commitment of individuals like Anne Marie that empower education throughout Rwanda (aligning strongly with our mission at the Women’s Bakery!) and throughout the world. Murakoze kazi kawe!