Baking a Path to Economic Independence

Berlette Liale is a mother of four in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. She is also a baker, a business owner, and a mentor to the women in her neighborhood.

Through the Women’s Voice and Leadership program — a five-year initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada and executed by The Carter Center across six Congolese provinces — Liale gained entrepreneurship training that changed her life.

She built her own bread-making oven, opened a shop, and trained 30 other women in bread making. Sixteen of them now regularly use her oven to produce and sell bread.

Baking profits have helped pay for her children’s schooling and supported her family. Success has made Liale a local leader, one who continues to channel opportunities into better economic prosperity and quality of life for those
around her.

Liale’s story proves what’s possible when a woman is given the chance to rise.