The Marketplace Magazine July/August 2022

Where Christian faith gets down to business

July August 2022

A second chance for success:

Project prepares women-led firms in Kenya, Rwanda to become investment ready

Award-winning BC engineer reflects on career guided by faith, innovation Growing farmers’ prospects in northern Ghana Waterloo man’s design business wasn’t planned 1

The Marketplace July August 2022

Roadside stand

Much remains to be done to create equity for Global South’s women entrepreneurs Women entrepreneurs in the Global South face multiple challenges in trying to grow their businesses.

In many cases, cultural norms require them to do most, if not all, of the work of looking after a household while trying to run a business. That juggling act leaves them with little, if any, time for networking and skills training.

There are other, systemic barriers that women struggle to overcome. As research conducted as part of the Second Chance Success project in Kenya and Rwanda (see story, pg. 9) revealed, lenders are far from understanding or accommodating. One company owner spoke of facing genderrelated discrimination while applying for a loan.

Lenders apply different standards when assessing the loan worthiness of female entrepreneurs compared to their male counterparts. One entrepreneur was told that she looked too young to be running her business.

Providing training for women entrepreneurs through the Second Chance program made many women more investment-ready. Some participants were able to successfully apply for investment capital.

But the true impact of the Second Chance Success effort may not be fully seen for some time.

People involved in the effort hope that sharing research findings will lead to lenders treating women entrepreneurs more equitably, and also help entrepreneurs better understand what lenders need.

With many projects, achieving

lasting, systemic change is longterm work.

As Jennifer Denomy explains in her reflections on MEDA’s efforts in Ghana over the past decade (see story, pg. 6), lessons learned during the GROW (Greater Opportunities for Rural Women) project will be applied to GROW 2, a new effort to equip Ghanaian women farmers.

Have your say about this magazine One of the ways we gather feedback about The Marketplace magazine is through a readers’ advisory committee that meets online for an hour or so, one or two times a year.

Our ongoing and elusive goal is to hear from a larger pool of people, and to balance the group by geography, gender, and generation(s).

Currently, this group is made up of women and men from Virginia, Ontario, Manitoba, Kansas, Indiana, and British Columbia.

We’d love to include readers

from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Western US, and other areas as well.

If you’d be interested in contributing, or just learning more, please email mstrathdee@meda.org.

Do you enjoy listening to magazines?

Among the topics discussed at a recent meeting of our readers’ advisory committee was the question of whether an audio version of The Marketplace magazine would be enjoyed by MEDA supporters.

A number of publications have adopted online features that allow people to listen to rather than read articles.

We regularly get emails from companies offering this service but have no sense of whether you would be interested.

In case you are wondering, the readers’ advisory committee was about evenly split on the merits of the idea. What do you think? Let us know.

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Comments Would you like to comment on anything in this magazine, or on any other matters relating to business and faith? Send your thoughts to mstrathdee@

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The Marketplace July August 2022

meda.org

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Features

photo by Alex Kamweru

In this issue

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Still GROWing in Ghana

MEDA staffer Jennifer Denomy reflects on past and new efforts to support Ghana’s women farmers.

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A career guided by adventure, innovation, and commitment to faith Vancouver structural engineer Paul Fast talks about Fast+Epp’s award-winning designs, the challenges of being faithful in business, and his firm’s commitment to innovation.

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A profitable accident

Chris Steingart’s entry into the world of web and graphic design was unexpected. Seventeen years later, he’s happy to have the freedom to choose the businesses and non-profits he works with.

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Welcome back

Internships help women rejoin the workforce after time away.

Shorter good reads 22 Roadside stand 24 Soul Enterprise 22 Books in brief

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A second chance for success

Grace Miringu, CEO of Ruiru Hospital Limited

23 Soundbites

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The Marketplace July August 2022

Soul Enterp prise

Gratitude rewires your brain Gratitude helps us see life clearly, and allows us to live it as God intended, to its fullest.

By John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander In 2014, physicist Michio Kaku wrote, “We are now entering the golden age of neuroscience. We have learned more about the thinking brain in the last 10–15 years than in all of previous human history.” One particularly fruitful area of this science has to do with, of all things, gratitude.

In a culture that values authenticity and prioritizes feelings, telling someone to “be grateful” can sound a lot like cheap pop psychology, or even worse, a tone-deaf lack of empathy.

However, plenty of studies suggest that being grateful is far more significant to our mental health and well-being than we may realize. “Time and again,” writes British psychologist Christian Jarrett: “Studies have shown that performing simple gratitude exercises, like keeping a gratitude diary or writing letters of thanks, can bring a range of benefits.”

A large and growing body of studies shows that exercising gratitude leads to better sleep, improved interpersonal relationships, better stress and hormonal regulation, and even reduced physical pains. One notable study followed over 40 participants seeking treatment for depression and anxiety.

Half were asked to write letters expressing gratitude before the first few counseling sessions, while the rest formed a control group who attended “therapy-as-usual.” Three months later, both groups were asked to perform a generosity task The Marketplace July August 2022

while being measured by MRI. According to Jarrett: “The participants who’d completed the gratitude task months earlier not only reported feeling more gratefulness two weeks after the task than members of the control group, but also, months later, showed more gratitude-related brain activity in the scanner. The researchers described these ‘profound’ and ‘long-lasting’ neural effects as ‘particularly noteworthy’ …. [This suggests] that the more practice you give your brain at feeling and expressing gratitude, the more it adapts to this mind-set…. a sort of gratitude ‘muscle’ that can be exercised and strengthened.”

Best of all, writes Jarrett, the positive effects of gratitude can spiral outwardly, creating a culture where gratitude becomes easier for 4

others as well.

Of course, gratitude is not a magic cure for all that ails us. It is, however, for mental health what vegetables are for physical health: vital, underrated, and sometimes difficult to swallow.

That difficulty, in fact, is one of gratitude’s enigmas. After all, it’s one thing to say gratitude is beneficial; it’s another to find an existential, compelling, or transcendent basis for gratitude. After all, the idea of gratitude is nothing new. It’s no innovation of brain science. Even so, it doesn’t always come easily for most people, even those who most know they need it.

It seems especially difficult today, even despite the incredible scale of modern prosperity we enjoy. One reason could be that a central belief of the modern world is expressive individualism, a philosophy which tells us to be true to ourselves over and above anything else. Though that might sound liberating, if our lives and success are ultimately self-created, who have we to thank? And for those who, as many people do, feel a real desire to thank “the universe” or “god, whoever he or she is” for some success or wellbeing, an illusion of gratefulness cannot be long maintained if aimed at no one in particular.

Many Christians, on the other hand, worry that if we allow ourselves to enjoy too much the good things from God’s hand, we will forget to be grateful,

or perhaps even forget about others who are suffering around the world. The Psalms speak powerfully to this tension.

In many of the Psalms, God’s people are encouraged toward more expression, not less. God invites the full weight of our grief and the full force of our hardest questions, and yet, at the same time, expects our gratitude, too. Throughout

the Psalms, in fact, God’s people openly share their sorrows and even despair. The way forward lies not in ignoring evil done to them by their enemies but in remembering the good and faithful work God has done on their behalf.

Ultimately, gratitude “works,” as more and more research suggests because it is a true response of a creature to Creator. As G. K.

God deepens your soul through work Albert Camus claimed: “When work is soulless, life stifles and dies.”

But how many people would say their work is soulful? Tedious, sometimes… frustrating often… but spiritually rich? Rarely.

Any woman who has battled an endless pile of laundry, heavilyreceipted expense reports, or graded student papers knows the monotony that’s part of any job.

Yet Scripture reminds us that we live before God in all of life (Romans 12:1). The same Spirit that moves our hearts at a worship service or convicts our conscience in prayer is at work in our work, shaping our souls through Zoom calls or performance reviews.

When we recognize God’s presence in our work, our callings can become places of deep spiritual growth.

Daily work, in all its forms, is one of the most powerful tools God uses to shape our souls.

What are the greatest challenges you currently face at work? When are you most likely to feel shame or lose your cool?

Romans 5:3-5 says: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

These verses may be familiar to you as they are often used to encourage perseverance through trials, but have you stopped to consider the second half of this passage? In the midst of endless challenges, God will show you how dearly He loves you through the Holy Spirit, who has filled our hearts with His love.

“If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown; that in failing and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.” — Julian of Norwich.

This devotion is excerpted from “Experiencing God’s Purpose & Presence Through our Work,” written by Joanna Meyer, and published by the Denver Institute for Faith & Work.

You can download and read the full resource at this link: https://denverinstitute. org/experiencing-gods-purposepresence-through-our-work/

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Reprinted with permission. To learn more, visit DenverInstitute.org, or @DenverInstitute on social media.

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Chesterton has been somewhat paraphrased, “When we were children, we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?” Gratitude helps us see life clearly, and allows us to live it as God intended, to its fullest.

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This article originally appeared on BreakPoint, the Colson Centre for Christian Worldview’s nationally syndicated commentary on culture.

To listen to or read more of the BreakPoint commentaries, visit: https://www.breakpoint. org/breakpoint-podcasts/ John Stonestreet is president of the Colson Centre for Christian Worldview. Kasey Leander is a contributor to BreakPoint.

Volume 52, Issue 4 July August 2022 The Marketplace (ISSN 321-330) is published bi-monthly by Mennonite Economic Development Associates at 532 North Oliver Road, Newton, KS 67114. Periodicals postage paid at Newton, KS 67114.

Lithographed in U.S.A. Copyright 2021 by MEDA. Editor: Mike Strathdee Design: Ray Dirks

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Marketplace 33 N Market St., Suite 400, Lancaster, PA 17603-3805 Change of address should be sent to Mennonite Economic Development Associates, 33 N Market St, Suite 400, Lancaster, PA 17603-3805.

To e-mail an address change, subscription request or anything else relating to delivery of the magazine, please contact subscription@meda.org For editorial matters, email mstrathdee@meda.org or call (800) 665-7026, ext. 705 Subscriptions: $35/year; $55/two years.

Published by Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA). MEDA’s economic development work in the Global South creates business solutions to poverty. MEDA also facilitates the connection of faith and work through discussions, publications and conventions for participants.

For more information about MEDA call 1-800-6657026.

Web site www.meda.org Want to see back issues or reread older articles?

Visit https://www.meda.org/download-issues/ The Marketplace is printed on Rolland Enviro® Satin and is made with 100% post-consumer sustainable fiber content, FSC® Certified to help meet client sustainability requirements, Acid Free, Elemental Chlorine Free

Cover photo of Grace Miringu by Alex Kamweru

The Marketplace July August 2022

Unleashing the potential of women farmers in Ghana MEDA staffer reflects on successes of the GROW project, looks to future efforts In North America, food is often produced on medium or largesized farms.

In the Global South — Africa, Asia, and Latin America — almost half the food grown comes from farmers who cultivate plots of less than two hectares in size.

Women provide half the labor for these farms, but they struggle to access the tools that they need to be productive and profitable farmers, MEDA staffer Jennifer Denomy says. “They have varying degrees of access to things like high-quality seeds, fertilizer, fertile land, training on agricultural techniques, information about what prices should be in the market, and the actual market where they can sell their product.”

Denomy, MEDA’s technical director for gender equality and social inclusion, managed the last two years of MEDA’s Ghana GROW (Greater Rural Opportunities for Women) project.

She recently visited Ghana to work with MEDA’s Ghana team. In a recent presentation to the Waterloo-based WomenEmpowering-Women (WEW) group, she reflected on the impact of MEDA’s efforts to date in Ghana, and the goals of a new project.

Women Empowering Women is a group that gathers to hear about and raise funds for MEDA’s work in the Global South.

Studies show that if women could access these things at the The Marketplace July August 2022

same rates as men, yields on farms that women run would increase by 20 to 30 percent, Denomy said.

Having reliable and locally produced food is very important, particularly in a time of challenged supply chains and widespread inflation, she said.

“When women earn money, they’re much more likely to invest it in their family, in the education of their children, in the food that the family eats, and in the health care that keeps everybody healthy,

working and active.”

Northern Ghana, where MEDA and its partners work, has the highest rates of poverty and food insecurity in the nation. Unlike the southern regions of Ghana, the north has little manufacturing and few export-oriented crops.

Historically, Ghana’s southern regions attracted investment because of their cash crops — rubber and cocoa among them — resulting in much better road and railroad infrastructure than what

Brenda Leis and MEDA board member Jenny Shantz were among the hikers walking to raise money in support of women entrepreneurs in Ghana.

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exists in the north.

Northern regions receive significantly less rainfall and have only one growing season, compared with two growing seasons in the south.

MEDA began implementing the GROW project in northern Ghana 10 years ago. For six years, the project supported small-scale farmers, particularly women, with a range of services.

Together with local partners, many of whom will work with MEDA again on the second phase of the GROW project, MEDA reached over 23,000 women and their families. GROW trained women to grow soy, a new crop in the region, but one that has huge markets.

The first GROW project linked women to a range of services. These included financial services through the formation of savings groups and connection to microfinance institutions and banks.

GROW provided environmental support, including promoting more sustainable agricultural practices and income generation through diversification. This included making soy kebabs, soy milk and growing high-value vegetables in keyhole gardens that could be maintained with kitchen wastewater.

A key aspect of GROW’s work was outreach to men to build their support for women’s business activities. “We found that was really important for the success of women’s farms.”

This work included supporting men to advocate for women on increased access to land.

GROW had a major impact on women’s involvement in household decision-making. At the beginning of the project, only 58 percent were involved in decisions in their household. “By the end of the project, 92 percent said they meaningfully participated in decisions in their household.”

The project also helped to more than double average household income among participants.

The recently launched GROW2 project aims to work with 40,000 women farmers (compared to 23,000 in the initial project), and 50 agri-businesses.

It will also move up the value chain and help farmers earn more money for their crops by working to build markets for soy and two new crops — groundnuts and vegetables.

GROW2 has three major goals, says Elvis Brenya, MEDA’s deputy project manager for the effort. It aims to: • improve the business environment for women farmers, • increase adoption and use of environmentally sustainable farming and nutrition practices, and • promote gender equitable participation of women in decisionmaking in the household and their communities.

The project will work with three regions in northern Ghana, one of which overlaps with the original GROW efforts, Denomy

Jennifer Denomy managed the Ghana GROW (Greater Opportunities for Rural Women) project.

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This group of women walked 65 miles along a converted rail trail between May 11 and 15 and raised more than $119,000 in donations for MEDA’s work in Ghana.

Others joined for part of the trek.

Two of the participants and organizers of the Guelph to Goderich to Ghana hike, Elaine Shantz and Miriam Turnbull, previously organized a much longer hike to raise money for women in Ghana.

In the summer of 2017, those women hiked the 555-mile-long Bruce Trail in Southern Ontario. That event, called Women Walking to GROW, raised more than $123,000 to assist women farmers in Ghana.

said. It aims to further engage at least 30 percent of clients from the original project.

Lessons learned from GROW that will be applied to GROW2 include the fact that although the project targets women farmers, “it’s also really important to engage men in their homes and their communities,” she said.

That means that building men’s advocacy groups will be a more significant emphasis of the new project.

Encouraging the cultivation of multiple crops and intercropping will lead to more environmentally sustainable farming practices, she said.

Getting women to come to training services will require either scheduling these sessions while children are in school or in locations that will have space for young children to play and be cared for.

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The Marketplace July August 2022

Serial entrepreneur takes advantage of multiple business opportunities Benedicta is a Ghanian entrepreneur who was a lead farmer and sales agent in MEDA’s GROW project Benedicta is a sales agent and serial entrepreneur.

“She’s one of those people who sees opportunities everywhere,” MEDA staffer Jennifer Denomy says.

Benedicta is a farmer who also aggregates other farmers’ production and sells it to largerscale buyers. She trains other women on product quality and brokers access to tractor services.

Most small-scale farmers in Ghana cannot afford to buy a tractor, so they need to rent one occasionally.

MEDA partner PRUDA introduced Benedicta to the sales agent concept and the importance of having an entrepreneurial spirit. They saw her as having great potential, and the right personality to excel at sales while benefiting other women in her community and beyond.

As a woman lead farmer, she received training in pre-harvest and pre-season farming activities, record-keeping, and negotiation skills. She and other sales agents were also introduced to other value chain actors across the country.

Her lead farmer instruction included processing training on higher-value items such as soy kebabs and tom brown (a meal made from cereal, soya beans, and groundnuts) — items that could be sold to local school feeding programs.

Through GROW, she was linked to and has pursued new and different markets for her aggregated soy products, including processors, The Marketplace July August 2022

poultry farmers, and the regional school feeding program.

“I would not have been able to access these needed links with other actors other than through MEDA,” Benedicta says.

By working as a sales agent, she increased her farming acreage from a half-acre to 12 acres and was able to afford to put her daughter through nursing school.

Benedicta started a moringa nursery as another revenue stream.

The moringa is a flowering tree often called the drumstick tree. The moringa’s leaves are used for tea, its seeds produce oils, and powders are ground from its leaves and roots.

Brokering tractor services helped her save money to buy a Motor King, a motorized three-wheel truck with a flatbed on the back. She uses the truck to transport crops or to drive neighbors to markets or neighboring villages for a small fee.

She also drives the village chief to meetings, which has earned her prestige and respect in the community, including being 8

invited to sit in on meetings.

Benedicta coaches other women farmers. She is keenly aware of the buying needs of processors, including their requirement for clean soybeans, free of debris and stones, so she advises farmers accordingly.

She also tries to assist women with expansion into soy processing.

“There are some women that are wanting to get into processing, and I teach them for free,” she said.

While Benedicta sees great potential for her business, there are challenges. She would like to purchase her own tractor to ensure reliability of service for her farmer clients. However, like other women sales agents, obtaining financing is challenging.

Bank interest rates in Ghana remain unrealistically high.

Waiting time for loan approval is notoriously long, sometimes up to two years.

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This story is excerpted from the Women sales agent case study, part of the Ghana GROW learning series.

To read more about the learning series, visit: https://www.meda.org/projects/archive/grow/ learning-series/

Building entrepreneurial potential in Kenya, Rwanda Second Chance Success program prepares women-led firms for growth In recent years, the need for more investments geared towards women entrepreneurs in the Global South has been widely recognized.

But gender lens investing funds have been slow to materialize or grow.

Gender lens investing involves investing for financial return while also considering the benefits to women, improving economic opportunities, and securing girls’ and women’s social well-being.

A pilot project in Kenya and Rwanda has worked to understand and help address factors that prevent women entrepreneurs from receiving the funding they need to grow their businesses.

Second Chance Success is a joint effort between MEDA, Business Partners International, Criterion Institute and Volta Capital Ltd. The United States Agency for International Development

(USAID) provided $1.15 million in funding for the twoyear project.

• Business Partners International is an investment firm that provides loans of between $100,000 to $1 million US to small and medium-sized businesses in Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

• Criterion Institute is an activist think tank that works to “broaden what matters in our economic decisions by expanding who has power and influence in the work of reinventing Regina Nyakinyua It worked with investment the economy.” funds and business development • Volta Capital is a United service firms to provide technical Kingdom-based firm that assistance to women entrepreneurs, provides customized venture said Regina Nyakinyua, MEDA’s capital investment services. country project manager for the Studies show that when effort. women are economically “In the long run, we hope to empowered, they resee an enabling environment where invest in their families and the businesses and the financial or community. This investment investment funds can be able to produces a multiplier effect work together to build a stronger that spurs economic growth. economy,” she said.

The Second Chance The pilot looked at the situaSuccess project sought to tion of over 180 women-led busiidentify and test strategies nesses that had previously been that remove barriers to Feza Kanya received financing for her Rwandan rejected for investment. The firms women entrepreneurs’ restaurant after getting technical assistance from were winnowed down to a smaller the Second Chance Success Project. access to capital.

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The Marketplace July August 2022

group that showed potential.

Project partners worked to build the women’s confidence and capacity through training and technical assistance in a variety of areas. These included marketing, product development, financial management and record-keeping.

Some entrepreneurs then reapplied for investment through a ‘second-chance’ window. About 20 percent of the firms have received funding from some source so far, said Mike Sarco.

Sarco is a US-based MEDA staffer who is the MEDA headquarters senior project manager with the Second Chance project.

Investment readiness training was financed by the project and participating investment funds.

MEDA also worked directly with the

Mike Sarco

investment funds to understand how systemic bias and discrimination

might be working against building and financing successful womenowned businesses.

Several participating women entrepreneurs noted that “on paper,” there is no gender discrimination and equal opportunities are available for women and men to operate a business and seek investment.

But investment funds tend to misprice the risk when they get loan applications from women entrepreneurs.

Research done as part of the project revealed that investment firms tend to view younger women as being riskier than more mature entrepreneurs. Lenders also are skeptical of women entrepreneurs working in male-dominated sectors. Men tend to qualify for

Second chance project helps hospital improve operations, gain access to financing Ruiru Hospital Limited is a private hospital and nursing home in Kenya.

Established in 1998, the hospital is accredited to handle both in-patients and out-patients.

The strategic aim of Ruiru Hospital is to continue to play a vital role in the development and provision of acute hospital services in Ruiru region. Ruiru is the sixth-largest urban centre in Kenya, a dormitory town for Nairobi, which is three kilometers away.

On average, the hospital serves 215 clients per day. It employs 43 permanent staff and 13 casual staff. Most of its permanent and casual workforce are women.

The hospital has faced two challenges as it works to expand its operations. The first challenge is related to lack of operational expertise and governance systems, including financial management. The staff is relatively inexperienced to meet quality assurance compliance requirements. Access to finance is another major challenge.

The application process to seek capital from commercial banks is quite tedious. Grace Miringu, who is CEO of The Marketplace July August 2022

the hospital, is a pharmacist and clinician.

She has struggled with the challenges of being a female entrepreneur.

“As a woman in business, I encountered quite a number of challenges, like being discriminated (against) as a woman, not getting funding from some financial institutions,” she said.

Collateral requirements made it difficult for the hospital to access finance from commercial banks.

At one bank, she was told that she looked too young to run a hospital.

Over a six-month period, the hospital received technical assistance from Business Partners International (BPI). The assistance aimed to build the hospital’s staff competencies and become ‘investment ready’ to expand its operations.

Miringu was initially hesitant to accept assistance, “but as the training went on, we realized we needed it.”

With support from BPI, the hospital contracted two experienced business development service firms.

This work aimed to enable Ruiru hospital to be more competitive in its delivery of service to clients, through 10

improved quality standards and operations.

The technical support included oneon-one mentorship approach. It focused on streamlining business processes, clarifying staff roles, establishing health and safety protocols, and developing a strategy that is aligned with industry best practices.

The assistance also looked at a business strategy for growth and addressing health and safety issues.

It also explained the process involved in seeking investment from private investors such as BPI. Miringu was pleased with how things went. The partnership “has really improved my confidence in business, and in representing the business in formal settings,” she said.

Recommendations made during the technical assistance process led the hospital to make several changes. It improved its documentation practices, quality assurance processes and health and safety standards.

These changes helped to improve the hospital’s rating by Kenya’s National Hospital Insurance fund.

larger loans than female business owners.

Other challenges include the reality that women often don’t have the time for business accelerator programs or networking.

Cultural expectations that women care for the family leave them with little time for extra training.

Bank underwriting practices and the failure by governments to enforce anti-discrimination policies are also a disadvantage to women in business, Sarco said.

“Banks and capital providers have very rigid selection criteria that relate almost exclusively to money and profit,” he said.

“The things that make businesses grow is the knowledge of the owners on how to run them.

Very often, this is not captured in the selection process of the capital providers. They miss out on a lot of good, growing businesses just basically because they can’t see (the potential).”

The project discovered that there is a general lack of trust among investors in the ability of women to run their own business with a male counterpart.

One woman noted that the loan officer at the bank is usually a man. She wondered whether they would think differently about the application if the loan officer was a female employee.

Several other women noted that financial institutions asked them to get their husband’s approval before pledging any assets against loans. photo by Alex Kamweru

Grace Miringu is CEO of Ruiru Hospital Limited, a private hospital and nursing home in Kenya During an annual inspection, Ruiru hospital was rated as the best hospital in Kiambu County.

Improved reputation and client visits have allowed the hospital to increase its staffing by more than 70 percent.

After the improvements were made, the hospital qualified for access to financing through Business Partners International. It is currently upgrading its

facilities. That project will be completed later this year.

The hospital learned that while access to finance is important for business growth, getting technical assistance from outside experts is also crucial in streamlining business practices.

The hospital has encouraged other business associates to accept technical training.

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Research findings helped the project tailor focused technical assistance and training for women-owned businesses to meet their needs at different stages of applications for funding.

Business Partners International worked with firms that had previously applied to them for loans and were declined.

MEDA worked with smaller firms that hadn’t made it as far along the loan application process. Both sets of firms received technical assistance to improve their business operations and increase their investment readiness.

MEDA and Criterion Institute interviewed both categories of entrepreneurs, and leaders in the gender lens investing space.

“We hope that the lessons learned can be replicable, and a stronger system (will emerge) where women are more engaged in access to finance and also in economically building their country and communities,” Nyakinyua said.

MEDA is hosting a two-day summit in Nairobi, Kenya this month to discuss project findings.

The goal of the event is to get the research findings out to the broader investment community, “and provide linkages between the providers of capital and the smaller companies that need it,” Sarco said.

“It’s to help them understand what needs to change, from both sides. What do I need to do better as a small company, or as an investment vehicle, what practices do I have to change to find successful investable businesses.”

To see a video about Ruiru Hospital’s experience with the Second Chance program, visit: https://vimeo.com/697524988 For stories about other participants, go to: https://vimeo. com/697525904

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The Marketplace July August 2022

#MEDAField2Fork2022: Show us your photos Are you interested in photography and the agri-food industry?

Send your images for a chance to win top prize in #MEDAField2Fork2022 photo

contest, sponsored by The Marketplace magazine.

Send up to three of your best-quality images that highlight the agri-food sector, along with a 200–250-word summary to provide context. Photos can depict the production, processing, distribution, or sale of food to end users.

Prizes will be awarded as follows: first prize $500US, second prize $250, and third prize $100.

Winning entries will be displayed in the November 2022 issue of The Marketplace magazine, and on @medadotorg social channels.

Submissions will be accepted until August 15, 2022 at 5 pm EST. Submit images and the requested information at: Field2Fork2022@meda.org To see full contest rules, go to www.meda.org/Field2FORK2022

www.meda.org/Field2FORK2022 The Marketplace July August 2022

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The adventure of building design Vancouver engineer’s career has been marked by risk-taking, innovation and international recognition Early in his engineering career, Paul Fast was mentored by a man whose example nourished his love for adventure and innovation.

Bogue Babicki, the engineer who designed a geodesic dome for Expo ’86, was challenged on his proposal. The design, he was told, had never been done before.

“That’s exactly why I want to do it,’’ the man replied.

That attitude, Fast says, has influenced him throughout his professional life.

Forging new paths has led to many awards and international recognition for Fast’s firm, Vancouver-based Fast+Epp. In 2021, Fast was awarded the gold medal by the Institute of Structural Engineers based in the UK. He is only the second Canadian, and one of only a few people outside of Europe, to win the prestigious honor since it was first awarded 100 years ago.

A citation read at the awards ceremony in London, England

mentioned his “world leadership in the design of architecturally expressive structures that incorporate unconventional use of materials, including hybrids of wood, steel, and concrete.”

A career that Fast describes as “a wild ride, a real adventure” had humble beginnings. For the first 10 years, his work focused on stick frame buildings.

“I would have never thought that I would end up on the engineering world stage.”

TheVanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre was named the most sustainable building of the year by World Architecture News.

Fast+Epp designed 71 uniquely shaped roof panels, prefabricated with mechanical, electrical, acoustical, and ceiling finish components, to break down a complex project into manageable pieces.

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The Marketplace July August 2022

Success, he says, arrives as a result of “faithfully doing good work, and creative work in the small little projects you get, and then you don’t know what else will come your way by way of opportunity.”

From those beginnings, Fast+Epp has grown to a firm that has close to 150 employees in three countries. It has Canadian offices in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, US offices in Seattle and New York, and German offices in Darmstadt and Stuttgart.

For more than three decades, Fast has been the design lead on many of the firm’s most significant, award-winning projects.

These include: • the Olympic (speed skating) Oval roof in Richmond, British Columbia; • the Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre; • the 18-storey TallWood House at the University of British Columbia; • the National Arts Centre in

Faith guides business decision making for Vancouver engineer For Paul Fast, Christian faith is more than a Sunday morning ritual.

“It should penetrate our entire work life and work habits, to exhibit the fruits of the (Holy) Spirit, particularly our interactions with people,” he says.

The Vancouver engineer is a member of Christ City Church, a network of neighborhood Mennonite Brethren churches around British Columbia’s largest city.

He feels a responsibility “to show love, to show kindness, to show patience” in his dealings with staff and clients of his engineering firm. Fast+Epp’s diversity committee works to ensure that associates of whatever racial background feel welcome, he said.

Integrity is also key to his philosophy of doing business.

“It’s easier to steal in a corporate setting than it is to take a $2.00 candy bar out of the local grocery store,” he said.

Corporate fraud is easily committed in industries where clients hire service providers on an hourly rate and accept a monthly The Marketplace July August 2022

billing for hours submitted, he said.

“It’s easy to put an eight on your timesheet instead of a four, right?”

“As Christians, we have to lead by example there, and if the staff see us doing that type of stuff (falsified invoices) with our clients, what do I expect them to do to me then?”

Demonstrating humility and acknowledging staff contributions when the firm wins awards is also important, he said. “When credit comes for individual employees, they pass that on, you know, it penetrates, saturates every aspect of our life. It should, you know.”

Fast credits his mother with helping to keep him humble, warning him about the biblical caution in the New Testament book of Romans chapter 12, verse 16: “Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.”

Whenever Fast told his mother about an award or special project commission, she would reply: “Paul, Paul, Paul, I’m just worried you are going to get proud.”

His mother had died by the 14

Ottawa.

Fast had a 27-year partnership with colleague Gerald Epp, from 1987 until 2014. In 1997, the two men established StructureCraft, a separate company to manufacture high-end timber structures.

Epp quarterbacked that effort, which brought many of Fast+Epp’s ambitious timber projects to fruition. Eventually, it made sense to separate the two firms, and the men parted amicably.

Fast has become recognized as

time he won the gold medal award from the Institution of Structural Engineers, but he could still hear her voice ringing in his ears.

“Maybe not while I was giving the (awards) speech, but certainly before and after.”

Humility also requires promptly acknowledging mistakes to clients, he said. “If I have regrets in this business, it’s at times when we did not perform to the level we should have performed.”

Equally important after acknowledging errors is to “buck up” and work to redeem the situation, he said.

“I always find God gives grace to make a comeback, … sometimes it’s even way better than if you ever got it right to start with.”

During difficult times, he turns to the 23rd Psalm in the Bible, a text he cited during his acceptance speech at the Institution of Structural Engineers awards ceremony in London, England last year.

“We’re not spared dark valleys, however in the midst of those valleys, we’re promised unconditional love,” he said.

“We’re promised comfort, we’re promised guidance.”

Focusing on the thoughts of that Psalm for his own life has helped him to overcome fears about difficult situations and “fall asleep

an expert in mass timber design and construction. He teaches courses on the subject at the University of Illinois.

In the 1990s, he got involved in projects that lent themselves to incorporating a timber component, instead of relying simply on concrete and steel. When his firm became involved in the design of rapid transit stations in Vancouver, he proposed using wood in the roofs of the SkyTrain stations.

The design of the 2010 Olympic

like a contented puppy dog.”

Reflecting on 40 years as a professional engineer, Fast told the London audience that his cup overflows with joy and thanksgiving for past experiences, “for what lies ahead in life’s journey, and for what lies beyond life’s journey.”

Fast’s family roots are in the Ukraine and in Russia. His volunteer work includes being “heavily involved in ministry work in Russia.”

The Hannah Family Support Society, a Canadian charity he champions, has worked with orphan children over the past 15 years.

The charity, which is named after Hannah, the mother of the Old Testament prophet Samuel, provides housing and medical support for orphans and adopted children, mentoring, and churchbased programs for children and young people.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has led to international sanctions, including shutting down the nation’s access to the SWIFT international money transfer system. That has presented challenges for the charity in continuing its work with the nation’s most vulnerable people.

“That (charity) is very close to my heart,” he said.

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Speed Skating Oval lent itself to another innovation. BC forests were being infested by pine beetles, causing many trees to

die. The wood could be used for construction, provided it was used within two years.

The resulting structure,

The Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre was an award-winning project for Fast+Epp. 15

The Marketplace July August 2022

designed by Fast+Epp, was advertised as the largest hybrid steel and wood arches ever built.

The project cost Fast sleepless nights along the way. He was told that if the arches didn’t collapse during construction, they would collapse immediately after being erected. “That was a mega risk, but we pulled it off.”

“In the end, everything worked out fine.”

Fast was grateful that the architect and city of Richmond “hung their necks out the window with us” on a risky, but ultimately rewarding design approach. “It got worldwide attention, too, not just because of the pine beetle wood that was employed, but the nature of the entire design.”

Without buy-in from the client

and the architect, innovative design is not possible, he explained.

Fast uses a classical music analogy to explain the decision making hierarchy in building projects.

He refers to the architect as being the orchestra conductor, while the engineering firm plays second violin.

Textbook definitions suggest that architects are more responsible for how the building will look from the inside and the outside, while structural engineers focus more on the building’s stability and skeletal aspect.

Fast is inspired by the beauty of the natural world and has tried to bring that aesthetic sense to his firm’s projects. Achieving that goal has required sharing credit for the firm’s concepts.

“We have to make our ideas

the architect’s ideas, because the design world, as you can appreciate, is not devoid of some significant egos. It’s just some tricky waters to navigate.”

Fast has learned to work well with many architects, including a family member. His oldest son is an architect. On some projects, “he’s my boss, and sometimes he is the one that whistles the tune, and I gotta jump.”

Fast has also had to persuade other industry partners about the value of mixing various materials in project design. “Everybody cooks their own soup,” he said by way of explanation.

Steel fabricators focus on metal, the carpentry world is good at making things with wood “and the twain rarely ever meet.”

Fast+Epp’s design of the 2010 Olympic Speed Skating Oval involved a groundbreaking use of pine beetle infested wood. The hybrid wood and steel roof arches were the longest ever built.

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Paul Fast

“They don’t like to necessarily work together, but they are now increasingly doing so. And it’s great to see because then you get the best of both materials contributing their strengths, and their weaknesses.”

Gaining a foothold in the European market also required considerable perseverance on the part of Fast, who is fluent in

German. “That was a really steep uphill grind,” he recalls. “It’s just very difficult to start branch offices in that country.”

Even with a German partner, the venture took eight years to become cash flow positive, and several more years before the investment began to return profits. “It all worked out well. Now we have very good traction, we have a very

Engineering firm’s commitment to innovation starts in the office At Fast+Epp, innovation goes far beyond the projects it works on.

The Vancouver-based structural engineering firm developed a suite of apps to help architects, builders, and developers do high-level structural analysis to inform the early stages of project design. Those digital tools have been downloaded more than 35,000 times.

Making these tools available free was a form of giving back, “although it’s not completely devoid of self-interest,” company co-founder Paul Fast says.

“What it does is it drives traffic to our website.”

The firm’s new office building attracts lots of interest as well. In 2021, Fast+Epp moved into a new four-storey mass timber office building in Vancouver.

The building uses a hybrid mass timber and steel structural system.

It incorporates smart glass that automatically adjusts window tint level,

eliminating the need for blinds and reducing energy consumption.

The ground floor features a Concept laboratory for testing materials. “We’re going to be building prototypes. We’re going to break prototypes and break connectors and pieces of wood and steel and whatever,” Fast said. “That is a real attention grabber.”

The lab is the first of its type in North America and perhaps only the second in the world, he said.

The company built the lab with no idea of whether it would attract contracts. But it has already earned the firm a large government grant to test mass timber floor panels.

Many groups from the development and architectural community have already visited the Concept facility. Fast hopes school groups will come in so “we can inspire a lot of people going into engineering.”

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good staff and we’re doing fine.”

One of the pleasant surprises arising from that journey was winning the contract to rehabilitate a historic pavilion in Mannheim, beating out international competitors.

Pleased as he is with the international recognition the firm has gained, he is equally grateful for the company’s culture. “I’m really satisfied that, once again with God’s help, that we’ve been able to establish a work environment where people want to be.”

“It’s one thing to be satisfied with projects, right? But it’s another thing to also have a staff here that loves to be together and with one another. That’s very gratifying.”

Fast and his wife have nine children. Several of their sons have followed Fast into related careers. One son, Tobias, has joined Fast+Epp. One of their twin boys works as a developer, and another in managing construction projects.

Yet another son is a photographer who has captured the results of some of the Fast+Epp projects.

The Fasts have 20 grandchildren, with another on the way.

Paul Fast finds himself torn these days between the adventure of new projects and the desire to spend more time with his grandchildren, some of whom have already accompanied him on hiking or hunting trips in the BC wilderness.

Last year he took on two junior partners as part of the journey towards selling his ownership of the company. Fast+Epp also has a number of phantom shareholders, key staff who share in the profits and the equity growth of the firm without the liability or risks of being formal shareholders.

You can see more of Fast+Epp’s award-winning projects by visiting: https://www.fastepp.com/firm/ awards/

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The Marketplace July August 2022

A business built more by accident than by arrangement Kitchener man fell into work that evolved into successful enterprise Chris Steingart’s journey to owning grandma, if you’re listening, it does standing their needs, and style of a professional web design business pay the bills,” he said in a prestorytelling.” was unanticipated. sentation to MEDA’s Waterloo hub.

Soon his portfolio was growing In 2005, he was working as a During his two years in Korea, and included paying clients from a youth pastor at W-K Mennonite he used his spare time learning variety of fields.

Church in Waterloo, Ontario, and about HTML coding and Photoshop.

His company has developed decided that the church needed a After returning home, Steingart websites for a wide range of website. was eager to build his business, Mennonite churches, schools, When efforts to get volunteers but lacked customers. He quickly camps, and other charitable for the project failed, he ended up approached several non-profits institutions. He has also worked doing it himself. “How difficult and offered to build them a website with niche grocery stores, plumbers, could it be to build a website?” for free. landscapers, veterinarians, gyms, As his time at the church “My experience at churches financial advisors, insurance ended, he and his wife Jillian and other community organizabrokers, long-term care homes, were just about to leave for a term tions was a perfect fit for underhospitals, hydro distributions firms, teaching English as and others. a second language in In 2015, he was South Korea. named as one of To his surprise, MEDA’s 20 under 35 three people apyoung professionals proached him offerchanging the world. ing to pay him to He is a board develop websites for member of them. That led him Mennonite publisher to set up QT Web MennoMedia.

Designs.

“In my business, At the outset of I have seen profound the business journey, changes in how “I really didn’t know people work, where what I was doing, they work, and how and I really didn’t they connect with know I was in a their audience.” career until it hit me Working from a in the face,” he said. home office “before Applying the that was a thing,” philosophy “fake it he resisted the urge til you make it,” he to lease office space created a purpose in an effort to look for himself, and a bigger than he was. direction of his own He also decided Chris Steingart’s graphic design journey began through creating a web choosing. “And early on that he site for a church where he served as youth pastor The Marketplace July August 2022

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wasn’t going to hire or fire anyone, preferring to take on contractors for specific projects as needed.

Feeling an undercurrent of his faith running through how he operated QT Web, Steingart recalled a discussion with Wally Regier, his childhood pastor and mentor.

Regier told him that there are many ways to make a difference in the church, “and it doesn’t have to be from the pulpit.”

“He told me that he saw a role for me in the future, and that the church would need my gifts in different ways than I could imagine at the time.”

Steingart constantly felt drawn to work with churches and nonprofits. Half of his work at any given time comes from that sector.

With low overhead and no staff, he was free to take on the jobs he wanted, “working with clients that would be beneficial for growing my business, and theirs.”

The pandemic led his clients to pivot. Initial messaging evolved into making it easier for customers to find them and their things, then a building or growing phase that included website overhauls.

“We can’t keep doing the things we did pre-2020 and think we’ll get the same results,” he said.

His prescription for digital storytelling in a post-COVID world involves several principles.

First, businesses and nonprofits need to find their authentic voice or offering and tell an authentic story. “Many companies are still making their stories about themselves, versus how their clients can find success with the help of the company’s products and services.”

“We all have a story to tell, and it’s even more powerful when you make it a simple one.”

Automating messaging is his second recommendation. Stick to a plan, schedule posts, divide

up tasks and create content with a view of reusing it in different online channels, he said.

Being brief is also important.

“Short attention spans are getting shorter.”

“If you haven’t already, trend towards shorter videos and 240-character blurbs — more bang for your buck,” he said. “Making a five-minute promotional video should always come with a plan to make three or four one-minute videos with that material.”

Embracing new technology while staying focused is key, he said. “Whatever you do, make sure you do it right.”

Steingart is also a fan of frugality. Organizations should hone in on expenses that can be avoided. Some web platforms charge a monthly fee for their e-commerce services. If an organization has a limited amount of products, they may find it more economical to have their own platform built, he said.

Adapting quickly is another important skill. “Don’t get bogged down in the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality.”

He witnessed the need to pivot through his work on the board of MennoMedia.

The publisher doesn’t resemble the organization Steingart joined a decade ago. Facing the doubleedged sword of a declining print

“We all have a story to tell, and it’s even more powerful when you make it a simple one.”

industry, and a Mennonite church that continued to experience significant transition, plus pandemic impacts, it has made many changes.

Quick decisions to move out of under-used buildings, closing warehouse space and re-evaluating staffing needs were all changes that needed to happen to reduce organizational bulk, he said.

All this occurred while increasing the number of books published each year, producing a new Mennonite hymnal and looking forward to a project that recognizes Anabaptism at 500 (in 2025).

The changes have made MennoMedia a sustainable business that will continue to serve the church for years to come, he said.

One of the most challenging parts of Steingart’s work is understanding threats such as ransomware and other new “nefarious things that are going on.”

“There’s always new stuff that you think you got rid of, script on a website or something like that, and it pops up in an old way (so) that you know how to get rid of it.”

Backing up websites with multiple copies is a good practice, he said. This allows organizations to isolate the place where an infection happened and nothing is really lost.

As his company grows, he hopes to equip his clients to manage and update their own sites.

“For me, it’s far more advantageous to be building rather than managing.”

He is in the process of changing his company name and brand to Big Creative. This will reflect several realities. At six foot four he is a big person.

Steingart is also looking to move beyond web and graphic design into photos, videos, and other services.

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The Marketplace July August 2022

‘Internships’ for Adults Are Helping Women Rejoin the Workforce Covid put a multi-year gap in millions of resumés.

Now some companies are offering a supportive path back.

By MaryLou Costa After a 10-year career break to take care of her two young daughters, Rachael Grieve recalls jumping back into the job market in 2019 and finding nothing but despair.

The yawning gap in her resumé left her with few opportunities that suited her ideal schedule and experience. After a failed interview for an office manager position, she was left despondent.

“I went home and burst into tears, thinking, that’s it, I’m done,” says Grieve, who is based in London, England. “It just felt like all these doors were closed.”

“I still remember that desperation and fear, especially after interviews that destroy your confidence like that, which was humiliating at the same time. You find yourself stuck as to where to go.”

Soon after that, a chance conversation with a friend who still worked at her previous employer, financial services group Nomura, led to Grieve returning, and ultimately, setting up the company’s Returners Program in 2019.

Open to people who’ve taken a career break of 18 months or more, the program offers 12 weeks of induction, training, and coaching, after which time candidates can apply for positions at the company.

Nine out of the ten returners who have gone through the program are now working there full-time.

The Marketplace July August 2022

The initiative forms part of Nomura’s plans to increase female representation in a sector that is notorious for being male dominated. A statement on its website says it has reached 31 percent female employees against a target of 33 percent, with 14 percent of those working at a senior level, compared with a goal of 19 percent.

Return programs like Nomura’s could also help counteract the disproportionate withdrawal of women from the workforce during the pandemic, as women generally became the default parent during 20

school and daycare closures.

As of February 2021, women leaving their jobs accounted for the majority of the decrease in U.S. labor force participation. Fewer women in work also worsens the gender pay gap, which stands at around 15 percent in the U.S. The Harvard Business Review has described return programs, which it dubs “returnships,” as one of the best ways to get women back into the workforce.

Tackling the gender equality issue isn’t easy, admits Grieve, who’s now Nomura’s global head

of learning and development for technology. That’s why she feels strongly about leading this program so it becomes a standard part of Nomura’s diversity, equality and inclusion strategy.

“Our chief information officer from day one was 100 percent supportive,” Grieve says. “This made a massive difference, to be given the platform and sponsorship to do it. I also made sure all senior managers understood the caliber of the candidates we were getting through it.”

One of those candidates was Shereen Peeroo Finney, a Londonbased cybersecurity architect who joined Nomura in 2019 after taking two years away from work to rethink her career.

While she had already gained new skills through training, she’d lost some confidence. But the support provided in such a structured program, including resumé advice, practice interviews, external mentoring and a 90-day plan, plus a cohort to bond with, makes the difference between a returner thriving and struggling, Peeroo Finney says.

“The extra support does get you up to speed a lot quicker.”

Tailoring both the recruitment and onboarding program to accommodate and even embrace career breaks — which employers have traditionally viewed as a flaw, rather than a sign of healthy work-life balance — gave Zandra Otubamowo the boost she needed.

The four-year gap on her resume to take care of her two young children led to a string of rejections, and led her to believe, when she began job hunting in 2020, that she may have to move backwards in her career to get started again.

Like Grieve, a friend told Otubamowo about the Return to Work program at Meta, formerly

Shereen Peeroo Finney

known as Facebook. The program launched in 2018 to offer six months of training and mentorship to people who have been away from work for at least two years.

If they’re a fit, the program can lead to a full-time job. Like Nomura, Meta hopes its initiative will contribute to its goal of doubling its number of female employees globally by 2026.

(Currently 36.7 percent of Meta’s 118,000 employees are women).

Washington-based Otubamowo got a spot in Meta’s program, and in September 2020 took on a role as a technical program manager.

“The support in the program was like being put into a bubble to protect us, which you don’t get when you just come in normally,” she says. “From my manager, to my mentor and my buddy, there were so 21

many people that were put in place for me to make sure I succeed.

You’re coming into a space where things are moving so quickly, but in the program, people help you move at your pace.”

“I don’t think I could have survived otherwise,” Otubamowo continues. “For me, it made a lot of difference in terms of transitioning slowly back into the workplace.

We need more women to feel comfortable coming back into the workforce and not feel like they have to take a pay cut or fall behind — that you are going to be given what you deserve.”

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MaryLou Costa is a freelance writer fascinated by the future of work, especially changes that advance women in the workplace. She also covers sustainability, innovation, technology, startups, marketing and more. Her work has featured in The Guardian, The Observer, Business Insider, Raconteur, Sifted, Digiday, Marketing Week and others, plus she has appeared on Times Radio, BBC and Sky News.

The Marketplace July August 2022

Books in brief Pennsylvania entrepreneur pens candid memoir about business, life, and giving

Life at C Level

By Henry L. Rosenberger (2021, 178 pp, $25.99 US, available through Amazon) In some circles, C level refers to the corporate suite for senior executives.

For Henry Rosenberger, it refers to the grades he earned on report cards.

As he points out in this informative and honest reflection on his life’s journey, the C students go on to own companies. They are the ones willing to take “the often enormous risks required to start a business.”

Son of a successful dairy operator and eighth in a family of 10 children, Rosenberger overcame severe depression and the doubts of others to build a multi-million dollar enterprise.

He credits the loyal and hardworking staff he surrounded himself with for contributing to the success of Rosenberger Cold Storage. When he sold the company in 1998, it had sales of $37 million and 350 employees.

Rosenberger cared for those employees, distributing close to $10 million in profit sharing after the sale.

Not all of his business investments were as successful. His admirable candor extends to a discussion of bad investments and regrets about time away from family.

The book relates his commitment to the Mennonite church and related charities as well.

Rosenberger recounts his work with both community and churchrelated charities over the decades.

The Marketplace July August 2022

His explanation of how his thinking about philanthropy has evolved is one of many gifts in the book.

After “retiring,” he and his wife Charlotte launched a grass-fed beef farm operation in Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania.

They purchased another seven farms, preserving 550 acres so that land can only be used for agriculture.

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A prescription for moving beyond polarized positions on race

Beyond Racial Division: A unifying alternative to colorblindness and antiracism

By George Yancey (InterVarsity Press, 2022, 224 pages $18US) Racial tension often evokes polarized responses.

Some people take a posture of colorblindness, ignoring injustices and denying any need for societal change.

Others are so passionate about the need for change that their antiracism message silences and sidelines potential allies.

African-American academic George Yancey calls out flaws in both of these approaches. In Beyond Racial Division, he 22

makes a case for a third way.

Yancey is a Baylor University professor who studies race/ethnicity and religion. He has written several books on racial issues.

He argues that neither appeals to reason nor the use of power are likely to bring about lasting, mutually acceptable changes.

That leaves moral suasion as the only viable option. That course of action “is about relationship building, not browbeating.”

Yancey outlines the reality of institutional discrimination to discredit a colorblindness outlook.

He also provides a persuasive case for why diversity training and antiracism work fails.

Beyond Racial Division outlines academic and faith-based cases for Yancey’s proposed third way: mutual accountability.

The author has no illusions that mutual accountability is a quick fix to ending centuries of injustices. He outlines the need to develop a collaborative conversations lifestyle. People need to be committed to seeking out interracial relationships, compromising where necessary, and overcoming our fears.

Yancey writes hopefully of the possibility of building a movement. He says that providing support for people willing to walk this third path will be needed.

This book is a valuable contribution to addressing intractable problems.

It deserves a broad audience.

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Soundbites

Women still struggle with stress from pandemic, study finds Pandemic-related stress continues to take a heavy toll on women.

So says Women @ Work 2022, a 10-country study of women in the workplace by Deloitte.

The study, which surveyed 5,000 women, found that burnout has reached alarming levels.

More than half of women are more stressed than they were in 2021. Close to half feel burned out.

Women in middle management, women under 25 and women in ethnic minority groups were most likely to report feelings of burn out.

Many women have made career and life decisions driven by their experience during the pandemic.

Some sought more flexible working patterns. Others have exited the workforce.

What has become known as

the Great Resignation will continue.

Almost one in 10 respondents plan to leave their current employer within two years. Over half said they will depart within five years.

The study recommends employers address burnout, make mental wellbeing a priority, find ways to make flexible working arrangements that are win-win for employee and employer, and instill a truly inclusive culture.

Talking tea and the environment Ever wonder about the environmental impact of your favorite cup of tea?

Numi Tea is helping its customers understand the issue by introducing a Carbon Footprint label, Forbes magazine reports.

Close to half the carbon footprint of a Numi cup of tea

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comes from boiling the water. Just under a quarter comes from the tea ingredients. Packaging and transportation are responsible for 18 percent and 13 percent each.

The company hopes that its initiative will help to start conversations about carbon literacy.

Bypassing taps and passcodes Mastercard is looking to phase out credit cards, allowing customers to pay using their faces or hands.

A trial of the new biometric payment options is underway in Brazil, Fortune magazine says.

Further testing will be done in Asia and the Middle East this fall.

Benefits will include shorter waits at checkouts, enhanced security, and faster transactions, Mastercard says.

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