Economically empower women in rural Uganda

WEB Soya is officially open for business! During August, we trained 30 women on bakery skills and management and began collecting customers. On August 27, we officially started full operations. This includes baking and sales. Each day, 8 women come to work in the bakery while others go to the market to make sales. In the beginning, we were producing about 250 cakes per day but now the WEB Soya women can produce over 600 cakes in one day and then sell them all the very next day. Eventhough many of the women have a natural talent for sales, we also trained everyone in basic marketing concepts, customer service, and sales tactics. At the end of September, many of the women recieved their first monthly wage and more than doubled their original monthly income. To encourage responsible financial management, FICH also took all of the women through a financial litracy training covering topics such as spending, saving, and budgeting. 

Overall, WEB Soya is confident in its ability to continue seeing success and growth. However, WEB Soya is not just a social enterprise, it is people. WEB Soya is made up of women who work together towards many common goals: gender equality, financial stability, healthy families, and a better community. When the WEB Soya women come together, they not only earn income and learn new skills, they build relationships, confidence, and pride that help them to go out and achieve their shared goals. 

As WEB Soya continues to grow as a business, we expect to see even more growth in the community. Through increased incomes, children will have better access to education, medicine, and healthy foods. Through increased cake production, local farmers and shop owners will see higher demand for their goods. And, through the economic empowerment of women, the entire community will see the value women have as bread winners and leaders in their community. 

WEB Soya: Based in the Northern region of Uganda, WEB Soya is a women owned and operated business producing soya flour and cakes. WEB Soya was founded to give rural, women farmers the ability to add value to their product, gain more income, and attain business acumen. The WEB Soya women are suppliers, employees, leaders, and beneficiaries of the business.

Over the past few months WEB Soya and FICH have been preparing for full-scale production. This includes intensive training and planning meetings and targeted outreach programs with our members. WEB Soya expects to see production hit maximum capacity within the next 6 months. During this time, we will be training beneficiaries, promoting our products, and installing more efficient equipment.

Achievements:

Bakery Management Training: WEB Soya was able to send three women to a week-long professional bakery management training. At the training, the women learned essential skills for running a bakery and tips for making better cakes using soya flour. The women will lead a training with the rest of the WEB Soya members in July to orient them on what they learned and kick-off new bakery production.

Bakery Renovation: In June, WEB Soya renovated the bakery and store room. The renovation has created a more welcoming workspace and improved on the cleanliness of the bakery facilities. Overall the renovation will improve efficiency and member happiness.

Oven procurement: After extensive research, WEB Soya selected to build the Rocket Baking Oven, an improved firewood oven that can bake 28 loaves of bread at one time. With a commercial size oven WEB Soya will be able to increase output and thus incomes of WEB Soya beneficiaries. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed in early July.