In times of uncertainty, it can be easy to fall into a feeling of helplessness. But have hope: there are examples of strength, courage, solidarity, innovation, and resilience everywhere - you just need to look for them.
Every day, our strong women bakers inspire hope in their communities. The Women’s Bakery uses sustainable employment as a tool for empowering women to create their own livelihoods. During this unprecedented time marked by the collective hardship of Covid-19, the world could benefit from some glimmers of hope. This blog post aims to shed some light on the good news.
At The Women’s Bakery, we prioritize people. Our paramount focus is to keep our team healthy and safe. Some of the emergency provisions our leadership team have implemented include the continuation of incomes, health insurance coverage, and providing a monthly supply of dried foods to feed each baker and her family - a total of 211 people in Rwanda
Charlotte, our Gicumbi Bakery Operations Manager, shares what this means to her: “The Women’s Bakery is making a profound social impact by motivating the team and showing us that we are not alone. As a result of additional action taken to improve our lives during the Covid-19 outbreak, our strong women bakers feel deeply valued and empowered. Overall, these provisions build faith and trust. It creates an even stronger relationship between bakers and the leadership team.”
Founder and CEO Markey Culver shares other examples of exceptional leadership and community coordination:
· Exemplary Leadership
o German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s address to the German people. Markey was truly inspired by Chancellor Merkel’s speech and believes she is emblematic of compassionate leadership.
o CVS’s CEO Larry Merlo’s people-first, high-impact decisions for the major US-based pharmacy chain.
· Community Coordination
o In East Africa, mobile Covid-19 testing centers are launched in Tanzania.
o In the US, California sends ventilators to New York, and health care workers from around the US fly to NYC to lend a hand.
These stories are a tiny fraction of the good news. More exists, you just have to look for them.
When our world chooses hope, unity, and compassion, we will rise above coronavirus.
