Pauline Kariuki reflects on the growth TWB has made since she joined the social enterprise in 2021.

Jeanne D’Arc has inspired many of our team members and continues to create change in herself, her family, and in her community. This is her story of empowerment.

When I traveled to Rwanda back in November to mark ten years of The Women’s Bakery, I was able to witness a remarkable convergence of milestones.

My name is Shema Honore, and I am twenty-one years old. I am the firstborn in a family of four children. My mother, Rose Kankwanzi, worked at The Women’s Bakery for ten years and recently retired through the TWB Retirement Program.

As our tenth year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on a year full of incredible growth, transformation and impact!

Working with The Women’s Bakery has transformed my life. I have gained skills, confidence, and financial  independence but most importantly, I have discovered my ability to empower others. I’m now not only a baker, but also a role model for young women and girls  in my community.

One Bread Project (OBP) grew quite a bit during the 2024/2025 school year. TWB strengthened the model to ensure long-term sustainability, so that we continue reaching students who need nutritious bread the most. 

We have begun production at our new bakery in Musanze, which is Rwanda’s second largest city in the northern region of the country.

Earlier this summer, The Women’s Bakery welcomed our first donor visitors to our new facility in Rwanda. We were honored to host Michael Cornelis with American Pan - A Bundy Baking Solution and his wife, Susan Riley for an afternoon to see what TWB is all about.

We just got back from this year's BEMA (Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds) Convention in Puerto Rico, and it was a good one! BEMA is where TWB was introduced to many of its corporate partners, as well as some of our individual donors. It offers a beautiful setting for us to connect with the baking industry, as a small but mighty social enterprise.

I want to share about our recent trip to Kigali, Rwanda. In May of this year, I traveled with MG Huth (our Development and Communications Manager) to our new flagship bakery. Wow—it was incredible!

The Women's Bakery is settling in to its new flagship location in the Kicukiro district of Kigali. We brought together the teams and equipment from our previous flagship in Kigali, and the nearby Ruyenzi bakery, to this much larger facility. The new bakery spans 1,514 square meters, and allows for four times the production capacity of the previous two.

For over a century, Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) has been a cornerstone of the baking industry by fostering connections, educating members, and supplying resources to its members. Beyond business, BEMA champions community impact, both locally and globally. And for the past six years, BEMA has proudly partnered with TWB to help empower women through economic opportunity.

This year, we are upgrading the health insurance coverage for all TWB staff and their dependents in Rwanda. Previously, our bakers were enrolled in Rwanda’s Community Based Health Insurance. It provided essential coverage, but many women struggled to afford care and pay for prescriptions.