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.

TWB's Next Big Ad(venture)

by: McKenna Pullen, U.S. Programs Intern

I was full of emotions on the first day of my internship with The Women’s Bakery. I felt so fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work with TWB, but, admittedly I knew little about how the team operated. Like most organizations, TWB looked amazing on paper, but what would it be like to work there?

Within a few minutes of beginning orientation, I knew that this place was even better than I could have imagined. Not only are these women doing incredible work, they are also extremely supportive, encouraging, and the one of the most hard-working groups I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside.

As the U.S. Programs Intern, my position exists to help adapt TWB’s East Africa model for refugee and immigrant women in Denver, Colorado. Through this position I’ve gotten to know how TWB functions on multiple levels. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit any of the bakeries (yet!), but it’s easy to see why this program is so successful, merely from reading reports about outcomes. I love being a part of an organization that fundamentally believes in the power of women, community, and of course, baking. Working to develop programs in Denver has also enabled me to see my own community in a new light, and begin focusing on the strengths and assets of individuals.

TWB inspires hope wherever they go. I am excited to be a part of that energy and positive momentum in Denver. Our program will provide opportunities for women to thrive in the United States, learning tangible, marketable skills, while building and strengthening essential social networks.

TWB will foster a nurturing and supportive environment, creating space for women to live healthy, successful lives. I know it will have a profound impact on the lives of all women who enter future training programs. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work with TWB, and so proud of the work they already do. 

Why I Support TWB

I identify as a woman and this is important because as a woman, I am keenly aware that the interconnectedness between gender, health disparities, economic disparities, and the victimization of women, often reveals the undeniable oppression of women.

I support The Women’s Bakery, and have done so for a couple of years, because TWB engages in work that improves the lives of people. During my social work training I had the opportunity to work with refugees resettling in Denver and was attune to the effects of lack of opportunity, especially for women. I saw the direct effect of gender oppression in the women I worked with, as many of them were survivors of rape, a common form of warfare. Since then, I’ve sought to work towards the empowerment of women, realizing that women have been too often left on the margins of the economy, of religion, of culture, and of society.

I currently work as a behavioral health therapist and a case manager in a primary care setting in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, one of the poorest regions in the nation. In reflecting on my current caseload, I was struck by the ubiquity of pain and suffering as a human experience regardless of gender. The moment brought me to my knees in tears. In that moment, I realized that my awareness to the inequalities faced by women, often results in me minimizing the suffering men also experience. Empathy may be the only way to disarm it.

I support The Women’s Bakery because they support empowering women – but in a manner that also elevates equity for all genders – men included. Men are a part of most of the training and men are often spouses of the women who are trained and employed at TWB bakeries. In many ways, they directly benefit from shared household incomes.

Finally, I support TWB because they support empathy, that is, the ability to see, feel, hear, know, and care for one another, through a shared human experience.

Kagina & AsOne Ministries

Tucked into Rwanda’s rolling hills, Kagina is a small town that feels worlds away from the bustling city of Kigali. However, the city is only a forty-five minute drive away. Kagina is also home to The Women’s Bakery newest project, a partnership with AsOne, a ministry that now supports a bakery training in the small town center. The church organization has partnered with TWB to train five women to run and work in the local bakery, baking and selling bread for their local area.

It’s a diverse group of women; they range in age, and some can read, write and speak English, while others are illiterate. They have worked with the church in the past and are excited and committed to this new opportunity. Training is a family affair; two of the women bring their children, one a newborn and the other an active toddler, and another is expecting.

As an intern with TWB, experiencing the AsOne Bakery training was one of the most valuable experiences I had while in Rwanda. I was able to see the very beginnings of the project and training, and when I returned a week later, it was so exciting to see the progress! While seeing the newly installed sink was exciting, I was so impressed to see how engaged and more confident the women were with the lessons, taking turns drawing on the whiteboard what they believe is the most nutritious meal. They discussed food pyramids, portion sizes and balanced meals.

These five ladies will spend the next month with Aime and Denyse, our intrepid trainers, learning about nutrition, baking, and business before officially opening their doors. In a few weeks, they will begin to sell bread locally and deliver to customers and small businesses in nearby towns.

They join three other active TWB projects in Remera, Ndera and Bumba.

Although my internship with TWB is ending, I’m excited to come back and visit the AsOne Bakery in the future for some bread and tea.

#bakebreadtogether #breadpower

#bakebreadtogether #breadpower