cake hour

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Falling from the Roof of the World

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 Yana

Tannoys Against Limited Choices

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020 Yana

Cooking fat on honey (Arabic proverb)

November 11, 2019 Yana

Chai and Kleicha, without Geymar

May 26, 2019May 26, 2019 Yana

The Warrior Queen of Oman

December 25, 2018 Yana

The Girl Who Stood Up Against Child Marriage

September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 Yana

People surviving because death has not enough space to take them all

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Yana Spencer

I am a journalist and women's rights activist, running Tamu Bakery - a social enterprise which empowers women and girls, who have been affected by gender-based violence, through baking therapy.

This blog features my musings as I travel around the world helping to empower women, shares stories of strong sisterhood, and women's rights insights.

From the deserts of Rajastan, to the plains of the Maasai Mara, from the mountains of Montenegro, to the bustling streets of Hanoi - Cake Hour will take you on a journey of discovery of women's lives.

For more information about my projects, please visit www.tamubakery.org

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🍞 Bread and other yeast-based bakes symbolises comfort and reassurance for me. When I am leaving my parents house, my mum always makes her signature pie with poppy seeds to make sure I have a safe journey (it is comforting for her to know I have food with me, made by her); throughout both of my life-threatening illnesses, I baked like mad, as it eased my anxiety, and brought some normality to my life; when I want to express my love, I bake breads and pies. For some time, I couldn't bring myself to knead the dough, and given the current circumstances, I couldn't understand why I am not running to the kitchen to hide my fears and anxiety inside my mixing bowls... I guess I was observing.... The world, countries, neighbours, friends...Today is a litmus paper, when you get to see who is who... If I could, I would send each of you this pie I baked today, to wrap around you some love and reassurance. _________________________________________________ Let's all stay at home and bake pies, and if you need any help with baking, I am here for you ♥️. #bakepies #stayhome #stayhealthy

📖 Deeds not words. Cheers to that on International Women's Day. ________________________________________________ A lot of my work concentrates on eliminating violence against women, but today I want to send my love to adoptive mums who break stereotypes in some cultures, cancer patients who are not feeling very feminine after chemo, to girls going through their first menstruation experience in a refugee camp setting, to women who have been raped and carry the rapist's baby, to widowed women who are not allowed to remarry and have to take care of their in-laws... My list could go on... Today you will hear a lot about what has been achieved and what has still to be done. I don't look into yesterday or tomorrow, I simply ask "what have you done today to help just one person?" ________________________________________________ 📖 Deeds, not words. #deedsnotwords #violenceagainstwomen #8thmarch

👘 I remember sitting on the train from Osaka to Kyoto. Three older women wearing gorgeous white silk kimonos with patterns of pink, blue and green, joined the carriage at one of the stops. I offered my seat to one of the ladies. After many 'arigatos' the lady in the white kimono with pink sakura on it started looking out of the window and I, mesmorised by the lives of Japanese women, was trying to guess where she was traveling to. 👘 "The Woman in the white kimono" made headlines last year as one of the most breathtaking historical fictions. Interracial marriages between Japanese women and American men in the 1950s and the fate of their often outcast children, and the atrocities which they went through - this book opened up a different side of Japan to me. I remembered the words of my Japanese colleague who during our gender equality discussion told me: "The history of every country has some dark, dark moments"... I wish I had read this book a few years ago, before my work visit to Japan. #japan #womaninkimono #profiteroles

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