Panera Bakeries: Livelihoods for Sri Lankan Women

At a bakery in the Ampara District of eastern Sri Lanka, 20 women widowed by the December 2004 tsunami have learned to successfully operate a medium-scale business. Sri Lanka, and particularly the long-neglected Ampara District, faces an economy in flux, civil unrest and reeling fuel prices. But these challenges have not stopped the new enterprisers from the village of Thirukkovil from running a successful business.

The livelihoods of women are often the most vulnerable after a disaster, and Relief International prepares its work accordingly. 33-year-old T. Yogeswary, one of the widows now working at the bakery, explained, “I was left destitute due to the tsunami. I lost my husband, a daughter and a sister as a result of this catastrophe.” RI trained the women to open and operate the bakery, teaching them product promotion and record-keeping skills.

Relief International also strives to bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term stability. When the tsunami struck Sri Lanka and other countries in South Asia, Ampara was one of the hardest hit regions, and an area already plagued by government corruption, sub-par health centers and low-performing schools. In order to help restore Ampara District, RI used donor resources both to meet the basic humanitarian needs of survivors and for long-term development projects. The bakery enables the Thirukkovil village widows not only to support their families, but also to count on a business that will continue to generate income for the community.

RI recently gave over supervision of the bakery to a local NGO. This allows RI to focus on other projects in Sri Lanka, while still being available for support, should the bakery need it. T. Yogeswary is confident that she and her coworkers will continue to support themselves. “With great help from Relief International we recovered a lot and were able to start a new life and provide basic needs for our children. Now we are self-dependent.”

The Panera Bakery project was conceived in the aftermath of the Southeast Asia Tsunami of 2004; the project would provide livelihoods for women widowed by the disaster, and would lead the way in sustainable reconstruction and development. Initially, the project targeted women living within the community of Pottuvil, a small village on the eastern shores of Sri Lanka, where a disproportionate number of women lost their husbands and sons – the main “breadwinners” for their families – to the tsunami. Literally, thousands of women and families were left without livelihoods or any means for survival whatsoever. By establishing their own independent bakeries, these women could once again support their families.

The introduction of the bakery project – made possible by seed funding from the Panera Bread Company, on-going contributions from generous Global Giving donors, and implementation efforts by Relief International’s Sri Lankan field teams – has been met with great initial success. To date, the Panera Bakery project has provided twenty women with comprehensive livelihood training and full-time employment in bakeries. Female participants in the project attend an orientation and receive training in marketing and leadership development to help ensure the sustainability of their new small business and the project as a whole. Furthermore, the women all receive three months of training in bread and bun production, as well has other food specialties according to local demand.

The success of the bakeries is largely attributable to the incorporation of traditional recipes, including local breads, buns, biscuits, macaroons, and pastries. Furthermore, on the grand scale, women have learned invaluable leadership skills - skills which have served as source of unity for families and entire communities. For example, direct beneficiaries of the project have developed community support groups that provide assistance to others interested in small start-up businesses, thus widening the scope and impact of the Panera Bakery project.

Moreover, the Panera Bakery project has improved current food supplies in tsunami affected areas and provided additional nutritional sources for children in particular.

While women widowed by the tsunami are the primary targets for this project, women who are widowed due to the ongoing civil conflict in Sri Lanka benefit as well. Relief International hopes to expand the bakery project in 2007 by providing tools and trainings to an increased number of women.