MARCO ISLAND, FL — If you asked Markey Culver about the most important part of her bakeries, she would probably say it’s the people.
Markey Culver is the CEO of The Women’s Bakery (TWB), a non-profit organization that creates access to gainful employment for East African women through selling nutritious and affordable bread. Culver and Madeleine Binsfrahm, development and communication director, TWB, were at the BEMA Convention this morning with special guest Tessa Soni, south regional manager for TWBs in Rwanda. They gave some updates, elaborated on their impact and shared their goals for the future.
As a social enterprise, TWB operates on a business model that has several key steps in helping women climb the ladder of success. The group starts by recruiting women who are searching for a means to provide for their families and communities. These groups of women are sponsored by TWB and trained for 200+ hours on how to launch and manage their own bakery. Once the trainees have graduated, they are ready to go to work.
Soni said one of the strongest impacts of the organization is the nourishment of their communities at large. Each of TWB’s bread products is made with local ingredients such as flour, vegetables, fruit and nuts, making the bread nutrient dense and low-cost. This helps to support the local economy and farmers.
“The heart of The Women’s Bakery is to make our bread as affordable as possible,” Soni said. “Because many times, affordability rhymes with accessibility.”
TWB also teaches skills that help its employees improve financial literacy and build the confidence to support themselves and their families. Employees have access to mental health counseling, insurance, family planning and gender equality training.
“For many of the bakers, it’s not just a job — it’s a family,” Soni said. “These women are mastering financial literacy and so much more.”
“For many of the bakers, it’s not just a job — it’s a family,” Soni said. “These women are mastering financial literacy and so much more.”
The organization also has a school feeding program, The One Bread Project, which feeds thousands of students around the Gicumbi-based bakery. It has received copious positive feedback. Some of the strongest sentiments from parents and teachers have been the improved student attentiveness and how it’s brought the bakery and community together. The program has also increased bakery production by nearly 300%.
“This is a project that has really worked,” Soni said. “We love it and want to make it a part of all of our bakeries that we currently have.”
Moving forward, TWB is working on opening another location and preparing to start the process all over — and Soni said she couldn’t be more excited.
“We get to train a new team and hire new management,” Soni said. “This was really how we wanted to end the year by getting this project started.”
The organization is seeking donations to expand its One Bread initiative and to continue empowering women in their communities. Soni said that $20 feeds one child for an entire year, and that the team is hoping to expand the program into new school districts.
“This is something we are really looking to implicate at all of our locations,” Soni said. “We are excited and hope people can pull us through that.”
You can make a donation and learn more about The Women’s Bakery on the company’s website.