We are Strong Women Baking Bread

My journey with The Women’s Bakery started before The Women’s Bakery was The Women’s Bakery. My first conversation about joining the team was when TWB was actually RWB – the Rwanda Women’s Bakery. Markey and Julie were looking to launch the brand and the organization, and they wanted me in.

I wanted in too – but I was hesitant.

I was not sure that I wanted to continue to live in East Africa. I was not sure where my career was headed. I was also pulled in other directions; family issues were continuing at home and I felt that I needed to be there. I was also exploring aspects of my own identity that I knew could be problematic if I was to remain in East Africa, specifically Rwanda. 

And so, I passed on the offer. It is crazy to think about, but yes, I turned the job down. Luckily, though, it was not the end of my journey with TWB. Just a few months later, at a low-lit bar in Denver, Julie encouraged me to circle back around with Markey.

“You should really touch base with her…there still could be a place for you,” she told me.

Under a year later, I found myself flying back to Rwanda as a full-time employee with the company. We had just incorporated in the United States and I was the U.S. Program Officer. I was not entirely sure what this meant, but I was bold, ready, and enthusiastic to launch a social enterprise that created access to education and employment.

We hit the ground running.

In my first few months with the organization, we registered the company in Rwanda and began to set our bank accounts up. We re-vamped the curriculum to be more robust and inclusive. We hired our first Rwandese team member. In doing so, I realized how much I had always loved building things. Much was the same when I had started Arkansas’ first NCAA field hockey team at Hendrix – building from the ground up requires grit, stamina, and courage. Myself – and my team members – had this.

After several months in Rwanda, I returned home to Denver to launch our organizational presence at the Posner Center for International Development. Along with Markey, I helped implement the beginnings of our non-profit administration, including systems for financial tracking, donor processes, and marketing touch-points. Sometimes, when we look back at some of the initial content that we put together, it’s hard not to laugh. Not because it is not good – but because it illustrates how far we have come.

In the first years of working with TWB, I had to learn the art of working amidst ambiguity. We shifted our model multiple times, altered our approach, and had to consistently re-visit the essence of our mission and vision. Yet, I appreciate these times because it was in these spaces I learned how to strategize, how to use my voice to shape organizational culture, and how to share leadership with other bad-ass women. I started working for TWB when I was 26 and now, at 29, I can safely say that I am a very different woman (and definitely for the better).

Something happens when you work endlessly for the autonomy and choice for others – especially women. You begin to believe that all that you are advocating for (education, opportunity, etc.) applies to you. That is a powerful realization. I began to believe this and make changes in my life. These changes have altered how I live, and I can say, without question, that I am a much more grounded, confident, and assured person because I have integrated choice and autonomy into my everyday living.

What has kept me going the past several years is the power of women. Even from afar, I know that the women working at TWB bakeries are capitalizing (literally) on the opportunities they have received. They are doing the work. They are generating incomes. They are using their education. Many non-profits boast about what they have done for the populations they have worked with. At TWB, we boast about the women that work in our bakeries. They are the story. It is not about us – it’s about the larger work of social enterprise and business actually working for good.

I will miss all of this as I step away from The Women’s Bakery.

After 3+ years of work, I am shifting my career into mental health. I started Counseling school back in January and it is one of the best things I have done. I am learning the ins-and-outs of mental health, well-being, and therapeutic relationships, and it is necessary for me at this time to integrate this into my career. That being said, I take all that I have learned and experienced at TWB with me. I take the lessons (both the successes and failures) and hold them dear.

From my time at TWB, I have come to see that failure is a necessary, important step to growth. I recognize that change is a part of the process. I continue to see that human relationships can take you far further than perfectly curated plans (though those help too). I understand now that moving through the “hard stuff” is required if any sustainable impact will be achieved. And genuinely, I have realized that if you trust the process, incredible (and surprising things) will happen. Essentially, it is good and healthy to dream.

I could not have imagined TWB as it is today. And, it is not even just the bakeries or the number of women we have employed. What has surpassed my imagination is the staying power of a model that works. A model not built on the agendas of others, but a model that exists to operate and function for both impact and accountability.

I am humbled by what this idea has become and have been honored to be a part of its development. We are Strong Women Baking Bread – and I look forward to seeing this continue to grow, revolutionize, and change the world.

#breadpower

Bread Power in Texas - Part II

written by Emma Nelson, Texas A&M University

The Women’s Bakery A&M Chapter in College Station, TX is officially two years old, growing, and constantly finding new ways to succeed its mission. I was so lucky to be able join TWB A&M at the very beginning in the Fall of 2016 when the organization was just starting out with a small group of determined members inspired by strong women baking bread. Our members have believed in and worked passionately for the purpose of this chapter from the start and to reflect on its successes and achievements brings me so much pride and joy!

Our Chapter exists to raise awareness about TWB, educate students about women’s empowerment and social entrepreneurship, and raise funds to support The Women’s Bakery. In two years, our members and officers have pursued and created ways to achieve these goals that bring the inspiration and concept behind TWB to more and more people. Some of the ways we accomplish this include; educational meetings, awareness events, profit shares with local businesses, partnerships with fellow student organizations, bake sales, and social media campaigns.

In the past year TWB A&M has held multiple campus outreach events, delivered presentations for A&M classes, screened documentaries, educated members on global issues, partnered with similar organizations, and officially established the TWB A&M Scholarship.The Scholarship was created by our chapter to cover the entire cost of the TWB training for one woman which gives her the education and opportunities that will equip her to gain a steady income and increase her autonomy. Through lots of dedication and work, our members have raised enough to sponsor four women through our scholarship!

This is the impact of TWB A&M! This is what can happen when people who believe in empowering women set out to do just that. TWB A&M is made up of friends that support each other and work together to achieve our goals to empower ourselves and others. We’d love for you to follow and keep up with us as we grow on our social media platforms!

Find us @twbtamu !!

Happiness Through Bread

Written by Francoise Umutoniwase, Marketing Intern in Kigali

At The Women’s Bakery, a byproduct of our work that I have seen is a word that though commonly used, still holds a lot of meaning.

Happiness.

Happiness comes when you feel satisfied and fulfilled.

How, you may ask, does TWB’s work enable this?

I’m delighted to share.

First, we make bread with local ingredients. There is no need to import raw materials. Because of this, we are creating a product that suppliers and customers alike are pleased with – it is locally sourced, and locally supplied. This generates a greater interest in what we do – ultimately spreading more and more #breadpower.

Second, we make highly nutritious bread (different from what is typically offered on the market) whereby the communities in which we work are excited (and interested) to consume our products. Often, I have seen many of our consumers become more enthused as we have developed more unique products. An example of this has been when we first introduced pretzels to our product line – our customers loved them and it became something for them to look forward to.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, our work environment exudes a culture of happiness. In integrating education, health, and employment together, we are able to work with a powerful group of women who are earning an income to make an impact in their life. Thus, our bakery is more than just a bakery – it’s a place where women come and do good, powerful work.

It’s not easy every day. The work can be difficult and the challenges that our women face are complex and real.

However, the commitment we have is the strength of The Women’s Bakery.

This generates bread power, where bread can effect positive changes in the lives of many. I see happiness in many of the aspects of our work – even with the challenges – and that continues to motivate me each and every day.

Together we rise.

Twists That Make Change

“Pretals, pretals!”

That’s what the women in Remera call them: the pretzels.

This strange and new product that has opened so many doors and pushed us further down the road towards profitability was foreign to the women at our Kigali bakery just a few months ago. Now, they are experts at crafting and baking this special offering.

At The Women’s Bakery, we know that our bread is more than just a food product. It is a livelihood. It represents empowerment, it can bring change. Every muffin, honey tresse, and loaf of sweet potato bread adds to a movement of strong women baking bread. These strong women baking at Remera now have a new product: pretzels. As our highest profit margin product, these pretzels are popping up in cafes and businesses all over Kigali. They have become a vehicle through which the city is learning more about #breadpower. Even private clients are clamoring to get our pretzels at their house party, office meeting, or public event.

And, the women of Remera bakery are seeing the impact their bread can have in a whole new way.

I have had the privilege of being part of testing the recipe, training the women and now bringing this unique product to market. It has been incredible to watch. We have orders daily for this special piece of bread that is continuing TWB’s goal of creating sustainable jobs and enabling profitable bakeries. These twisty bits of salt, herb or cinnamon sugar goodness are not only delicious, they are powerful and they are just one part of the exciting operations that are paving our path for continued success.

From Paper to Quickbooks

The Women’s Bakery is proud to announce our partnership with Acacia, an accounting firm in Kigali, Rwanda, that works primarily with small NGOs and businesses.

Prior to 2016, TWB did all business accounting in-house, including petty cash, account reconciliation, employee taxes, income taxes, etc.

The reason for this was two-fold 1) financially we could not afford to hire an accounting firm or an accountant and 2) the number of transactions and taxes were minimal. However, as we began to grow, the number of employees, applicable taxes, transactions, and sources of revenue all increased quickly taking up staff hours and exposing us to more opportunities for error and non-compliance.

We decided to hire Acacia for three reasons:

1) The number of transactions were still low enough that it wouldn’t warrant a full-time position,

2) We didn’t know how to ask the right questions to ensure we would hire an honest and well trained accountant, and

3) Hiring a firm with a solid reputation would hopefully ensure accountability and well trained staff.

For all of those starting their own small businesses and curious about how a simple accounting system works in this region of the world, here is how we do it:

• TWB Senior Management withdraws cash from local ATMs for all petty cash purchases (this is how most of our expenses happen in Rwanda).
• Each week all TWB staff are issued petty cash and sign-out the funds.
• At the end of each week all receipts and change are reconciled for each staff member.
• All receipts are glued into an accounting book and given a transaction number.
• All numbers correspond to an expense tracker in excel, which also captures type of currency, exchange rates, detailed description of expense, date, employee accountable, budget categories., etc.
• At the end of the month TWB sends the excel expense tracker, bank statements, and a simple revenue and expense excel that outlines the cashflow in our Remera bakery (the only bakery we actually own) to Acacia.
• From this, Acacia enters all of our expenses into Quickbooks, prepares and submits templates for employee income tax, employee social security, and withholdings taxes on the Rwanda Revenue Authority website.
• Once submitted, TWB is then sent acknowledgement receipts with a reference number, which allows us to pay each type of tax through our online bank account.

It has been both interesting and educational to bridge gaps and set-up a simple, but effective accounting system with Acacia.

The best part about working in a start-up is the steep learning curve. I can certainly say that I learned a lot setting up a business’ accounting system in Rwanda. It also reminds me that anything is possible.

#breadpower #smallbusiness #womensbakery #bankingfordays

Barriers to Accessing Healthcare in Rwanda

Over the past twenty years Rwanda has seen exceptional improvements in health outcomes. They have witnessed a decrease in the unmet need for family planning, a decrease in the prevalence of HIV, and an increase in access to preventive services such as mosquito nets.

One of the major factors that has contributed to these improvements has been a generous national budget designated to healthcare expenditure (including subsidization of the national health scheme, Mutuelle). In Rwanda in 2015/2016 the percent of the national budget allocated to healthcare was 10.2% compared to Uganda 5.3% and Kenya 4% in the same period (http://www.eannaso.org/resources/reports/33-eannaso-2015-eac-health-financing-profile/file). By investing in the health of its citizens, Rwanda is increasing the intellectual capacity, productivity, and economic success of the country.

However, one of the opportunities many TWB women still lack IS access to health insurance. Most women who start our training program are not insured even though Mutuelle is designed to be affordable based on family income. This is because many barriers still exist in accessing Mutuelle, including lack of knowledge about the plan, documentation for registration, and inability to save money.

The Women’s Bakery hopes to be the missing link that will connect families to Mutuelle services. This month the eight women working at our Remera bakery have been signing their families up for the health insurance plan with the help of our Operations Manager, Yvonne. Yvonne has helped to educate, collect proper documentation, and develop personal budgets to make health insurance a reality.

In total eight women, four husbands, and thirty children will be registered for national healthcare. Thank you to all of our supporters who believe it what we do, the women we work with, and the families and communities they support. We couldn’t do it without you.

What Cows Taught Me About Exclusion

In the wake of discussions centered on inclusion and what it means to be a part of a community that is inclusive, I have been reflecting on one of my own stories from my time living in Southwest Uganda.

From 2013 to 2014 I took a year off of graduate school to work as a Program Coordinator for a malnutrition project in Rukungiri, Uganda. We had a small team made up of nursing staff, nursing students, and volunteers and were tasked with providing inpatient and outpatient malnutrition services for Rukungiri District. As part of the program we inherited, we were managing two cows that were cared for by a herdsman. The cows had been approved to graze on pasture owned by the Catholic hospital that we were working at. The goal of having the cows was to produce milk to help feed severely and moderately malnourished inpatients.

One day one of the Catholic nuns told me they were kicking our cows off the pasture because they needed the land for their cows. An alarming proposition, considering milk from their cows was generating profits that went into their pockets. The Catholic church and the hospital then told us there was no other grazing land available and we would have to leave their land immediately.

As we were in the process of finding an alternative solution for our cows, the hospital administrator called me into his office and accused our herdsman of theft. I assured him that there had been no issues and asked for evidence that might support his accusation. He said it was verbal and the herdsman had to be fired on the spot.

Furious, but aware of my own role as an outsider in this community, I left to speak with the herdsman. Knowing that we had no other place to graze our cows and that we would likely have to sell them, we agreed on a few months severance for him and promised we would help him look for additional work. Alarmed once again, our herdsman told me, “You know I didn’t steal anything. They only want me gone because I am Protestant.” I was in shock. Over the next few months I learned of other similar situations in which the administration had removed staff based on religion.

In communities that hold high standards for equality, how are things like this happening? How will inclusion ever be possible if top leadership teams are sending a different message? Sadly, this has not been the end to stories such as this. We face these kinds of challenges in Rwanda and the U.S. as well.

However, I remain optimistic that TWB women value inclusion in their own bakery communities and are supporting one another despite their differences.

Thank you to our women in Remera who have shown me over the last few weeks how to stand up to those who don’t include others.

We need your strength today and everyday. 

TWB's Pilot Campus Chapter

Written by Alayna Davis, TWB A&M's Chapter President

Last spring, The Women’s Bakery launched our pilot campus chapter at Texas A&M University. We started off as a small group of officers, brainstorming what a TWB campus chapter would look like. We are now a thriving organization with over 40 members who love and believe in The Women’s Bakery’s mission and vision!

As a campus chapter, our goals are to raise awareness and funds for The Women’s Bakery as well as to educate Texas A&M students and our community about topics such as women’s empowerment and social enterprise.

Our Finance Officer, Kelyn, gave an update on our chapter’s work so far, “To date, we have put on internal group events and completed two separate fundraisers, as well as begun working to plan a large scale program for the spring.”

Our internal events consist of socials, put on by our Social Officer, Natalie, as well as our meetings planned and run by our Education Officer, Colton. At these meetings we have discussed topics such as Rwandan and Tanzanian Culture and Women’s Empowerment.

At another one of our meetings, Colton conducted an interview via Skype with Heather Newell. Colton described his experience: “I had the privilege of interviewing Heather... It was so fascinating and informative getting to hear from someone that has been with TWB from its early stages and has watched it progress over the years.”

Our Vice Chair, CJ, has done a great job facilitating our biweekly officer meeting and says that, “The officers have done an incredible job at creating a welcoming environment for our members and a tangible spirit of unity throughout the organization.” After just a few months as a campus organization, we are already making an impact on campus.

We have had two articles published on campus about our work and have generated a lot of support via social media. We have also made a personal impact on our members. Our Marketing Officer, Madi, describes the effect that The Women’s Bakery has had on her, “The Women’s Bakery has been so much more than something to throw onto my resume. I have learned about other cultures around the world, other people at my own university, about what feminism means to others, and I’ve even learned a bit about myself… The Women’s Bakery has been very eye-opening for me.”

Our Campus Engagement Officers Samira and Ashlie “anticipate an upcoming semester filled with even more events that are informative, meaningful, and fun! All of our members are very excited to be working on programs that will educate the Bryan/College Station area on women's empowerment and the work of The Women's Bakery.”

We also foresee our already large membership growing even bigger as many students have contacted us in hopes of joining us next semester. TWB A&M is off to a fantastic start and all of our officers and members feel so fortunate to have the chance to play a role in this exciting new development for TWB. 

Technology & The Future of Bakery Sales for TWB

The Women’s Bakery satellite office in Denver is based in The Posner Center for International Development, a co-working space that houses over 60 international organizations. From Guatemala to Rwanda, from China to Syria, the building hosts a multitude of organizations and enterprises seeking poverty alleviation around the world, with a particular focus on cross-collaboration. Each year, the Posner Center hosts a “Poverty Hack” to bring together experts across sectors, leaders in international development, and Posner Center members to work together on various challenges faced by international organizations.

Recently, TWB was a finalist and the selected winner for the 2016 “Posner Poverty Hack.”

With a desire to increase automation in sales for business optimization for our Rwanda-based bakeries, TWB presented a challenge to develop text-based mobile tool. Over the course of three days (from July 10-12, 2016), over 15 individuals worked to brainstorm, develop, and innovatively build a contextualized and innovative solution.

When final pitches took place on the last day of the competition, the panel of judges, including Eleanor Allen (Water for People), Dr. Ann Hudock (Plan International), and Asad Aziz (Colorado State University), chose TWB as the organization with the solution that held the most potential for impact, collaboration, context, and scale.

As the winner, TWB receives funding from sponsor and funder Cognizant Quick Left for implementation. TWB will be working to roll-out a plan with input from TWB women, local developers, and hackathon participants. Our team expects to integrate a mobile sales tool early next year.

A special thanks to The Posner Center for International Development and all Hackathon participants for The Women’s Bakery: Yona Brodeur, Patrick Smith, JoJo Aggers, Jordan Smith, Monica Wright, Micah Gurard-Levin, Sam Lindstrom, Regina Peyfuss, Stephen Richardson, Maxwell “Wolf” Reichard, Amy Greene, Natalie Schreffler and Katie Hile.