At the Women’s Bakery, we are committed to celebrating women all day, everyday! Since this month is International Women’s Month, we would like to recognize the hard work of our whole team and the community of strong women that support our efforts internationally year round! Find out how we are celebrating here.
Flour Power
In 2020, the whole world witnessed disruptions to the global supply chain. The cost of staple goods were influx, and things that we took for granted at the grocery store - like yeast - were suddenly missing from the shelves. These shortages led The Women’s Bakery to look inwards and assess our inventory. As a result, we identified and streamlined our processes on procuring ingredients in bulk by thinking on our feet and adapting to a new normal!
Financial Freedom Trainings
Alongside education and health, we have prioritized a focus on economic opportunity as a gateway to women’s empowerment. Over the years, The Women’s Bakery has implemented several initiatives to create economic opportunities, such as ensuring that every single woman has a bank account. Read more about what we covered at the latest financial literacy training here!
New Year, New Records
Caring during COVID
Opening Doors of Opportunity for Women and Their Families
Yvonne takes a moment to celebrate the extraordinary strides of the social impact team, such as the buildout of baby houses to support working moms, the provision of health insurance, and financial training programs. These initiatives have opened (previously inaccessible) doors of opportunity for strong women baking bread.
Staying Healthy, Staying Connected
As a Kigali native and a young leader within a women-centered organization, Francoise is inspired daily by the operations growth her team continues to achieve and by the social impact The Women’s Bakery is having on Rwandan women. In her own words, Francoise shares the ways her team demonstrates the immeasurable impact empowered women have on their communities.
Becoming a "Superhero Mom"
Gicumbi Program Manager, Charlotte, reflects on the opportunities gainful employment has presented in her and other bakers' lives, including the ability to pay for their children's daily meals, school fees, and becoming a mirror of possibility for her 5-year-old daughter, Teta. "Teta calls me a 'Superhero Mom'", Charlotte writes. And this is why.
A Team That Proves Women Can Do Anything
Introducing...Robware!
At The Women’s Bakery, we are always looking to expand our impact and refine our bakery model. This includes process improvement and increasing output at each of our bakeries. We are deeply grateful to have Rademaker’s Rob van Erven share his expertise with TWB and help us do just this. Hear from our Program Manager’s about the impact of Rob’s contributions.
Iranzi Clinic Visits
Health insurance matters. No matter where you live in the world, access to medical care changes the trajectory of your life. TWB provides health insurance for all bakers and their families - but it’s not enough. Women bakers need access to accurate reproductive and maternal care. Learn about the solution driven by Yvonne, TWB’s Social Impact Program Manager.
Baking More Bread in the Same Time
Aurore Speaks on the Importance of Self-Care
Decidedly Different: Revolutionizing Business as a Tool for Social Good
Mark Your Calendar! TWB's Virtual Trivia Night: August 20, 2020
The Women’s Bakery invites you to an evening of trivia on Thursday, August 20th from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm MDT! We’re hosting a virtual trivia night to connect with each other and raise funds to provide health insurance for our strong women baking bread - read more in our blog post and follow the link to RSVP!
Meet Gicumbi Bakery Operations Manager, Charlotte!
The Next Normal: Adapting Programming During Covid-19
Neighbourhood Bakes
We stand in solidarity with the Black community
Being a values-centered organization means we not only work for women’s equity and inclusion, but raise our voices when something goes against our beliefs: We stand in solidarity with the Black community, and for a more equitable and prosperous world.
Our commitment will always be to empower women and create access to bread. We cannot achieve that goal without acknowledging the systemic, blatant, and covert racism that infects our society with tragic consequences.
We recognize that people are hurting, frustrated, and justifiably angry. And we recognize that words alone cannot solve systemic racism. We must work. We must listen. And through that listening, we commit to amplify those voices who have been silenced.
The lives of our Black employees, customers, supporters, and community partners matter. We will continue to work tirelessly for systemic change both within and beyond our organization.
Action Steps:
Philanthropy:
The Women’s Bakery has donated to three remarkable organizations involved in measurable action and change:
The Loveland Foundation: With a focus on Black women and girls, The Loveland Foundation is committed to offering mental health services and community-building initiatives, with the mission of empowering Black women.
NAACP: Through legal action and public education, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is dedicated to achieving equal rights for Black people and to removing structural barriers that serve to reinforce race prejudice and broken systems.
Black Lives Matter: This organization is dedicated to the movement for freedom, liberation, and justice for the Black community. Black Lives Matter works to illuminate racial inequalities, build local power, and create space for Black innovation.
Internal Communications
Team TWB holds weekly staff meetings in which team members are welcomed to engage in conversations surrounding racial equity. We believe change involves creating safe spaces to listen and be receptive to internal improvement.
External Communications
We are also using our social media platforms to amplify Black voices within our own company, the baking industry and beyond. Please follow our Instagram Page @womensbakery and view our story and posts to join us in elevating Black voices in our community, including Black, female activists and Black, female chefs.
Policy
We are in the process of reviewing TWB policies to both locate and eliminate both explicit and implicit bias in our workspace.