LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Wonderbag, a revolutionary product empowering Africa’s women, one home at a time.
Sarah Collins is an impact driven entrepreneur whose company manufactures, sells and subsidizes a revolutionary cooking product known as the Wonderbag. A Wonderbag is based on the oldest technology in the world – heat retention cooking. These non-electric bags are made up of lab tested chipped foam that is housed in colourful, African-inspired printed fabrics with a drawstring at the top to retain the heat. This simple but ingenious product allows for food to be brought to the boil by conventional cooking methods and once put into the Wonderbag will continue to cook the food for up to 12 hours.
What makes the Wonderbag business live up to its name of being one of Time magazine magazines top 50 Genius Companies leading into the Future? It is not only the incredibly simple magical cooker, but the dynamic business model that Sarah has developed to enable the Wonderbag to be subsidized to women across Africa at a price they can afford, changing lives and economically empowering women one home one giant leap at a time. Wonderbag not only saves money on the fuel source for cooking by up to 90%, but it also gives back approx. 6 hours a day of collecting of wood and cooking on fires all day.
So, what inspired Sarah to start this unique, high impact business that is making such a difference to the lives of women across the African continent? She says:
“I am driven by a deep sense that every human needs to make a contribution and leave this world a better place. So many people are searching for their purpose, I am incredibly grateful to have found mine, in innovating simple and culturally relevant products that are changing lives for the positive.”
Wonderbag is a revolutionary product which has changed the face of Africa and created life changing impact in millions of homes across the world. It is both an environmentally and socially impact driven business, not only creating economic growth per household but also creating Carbon credits by saving CO2 emissions from cooking fuels, Carbon Credits drive sustainable solutions and have created a new diverse way to subsidize products that otherwise would be unaffordable to many people.
“With a Wonderbag, women can change the world.”
The Wonderbag also :
Saves time that is normally spent in the kitchen watching over food that is cooking. Just bring your food to the boil, put it in the bag and leave it on a counter to cook to perfection – ready for you to serve hot whenever you’re ready to serve with no risk of overcooking the food!
Reduction of external energy source saves you money AND is good for the environment!
Increased safety as there is no chance of fires breaking out or burns for children or anyone who comes into contact with the Wonderbag. The heat is retained inside the bag and is safe to the touch externally.
Healthier environment for those living in more remote parts where they are still cooking over an open fire as this product significantly reduces the amount of indoor air pollution that is caused when cooking over an open flame which is directly linked to a substantial number of deaths in adults and children under five.
The most delicious and nutritious meals are cooked when using a Wonderbag because this type of slow cooking is a nutrient protective form of cooking where food is cooked to perfection over a longer period of time and with a less harsh form of heat.
Economic inclusion – particularly for the REAL entrepreneurs of Africa, those that operate in our informal economies of Africa, the people that drive our continent forward and bring economic growth to communities that thrive on entrepreneurship, who are able to use this product to now concentrate their efforts on other entrepreneurial activities instead of spending hours of their day bent over the open flames of a fire to cook food for the family. This product also provides the opportunity for people to become Wonderpreneurs and to earn extra income or a living by on-selling the bags, collecting data, digital entrepreneurs and activists in communities, future leaders of our world.
Speaking about the phenomenal team behind the Wonderbag success story, Sarah says:
“I like to think of my team as my family, because they are amazing!! They have been with me since the Wonderbag journey began and have continuously supported me throughout the journey. They give one hundred and ten percent every day and for that I am entirely grateful. We are now scaling into a far larger enterprise that with it brings structures and more corporate type roles, but the mission and ethos as well as culture will forever remain the same. Driven by passion and real human beings.”
Sarah’s own entrepreneurial journey has been an interesting one. She grew up in rural, apartheid-era South Africa in the 1970s. Her childhood inspired her life’s work focusing on empowering women living below the poverty line through grassroots efforts. Educated in both the UK and South Africa, she spent much of her school years challenging Apartheid. She returned to Africa to launch and run a horseback riding safari business in Botswana, and has since devoted her life to community projects. Among others, Sarah’s career has seen her run for political office, set-up her own NGO and help local communities create thriving businesses to support their livelihoods.
In terms of Sarah’s ultimate aspirations for Wonderbag, she says she would like to have sold 10 million Wonderbags in the next 1000 days! Overall, her vision for the company is to continually grow and possibly expand into parts of the world where Wonderbag has not yet reached. But ultimately through this product, she wants to empower the women of the household who she believes are the heart of the community and by doing so to genuinely change the world we live in for the better. What gives Sarah the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur? She says:
“For me - the facts are simple. Poverty across the globe is getting worse. One billion people will never see a health worker in their lives. Three billion people cook on open flames every day, which is killing them at the same time as feeding them. Less people have access to antiretrovirals than they did 5 years ago. Collectively, the world seems to be failing when it comes to providing health care, aiding refugees, honouring people’s human rights and fighting both poverty and abuse against women. 82% of girls in Africa are raped whilst collecting firewood and this also means that they are not in school in order to complete this vital task. This figure is up from 68% in 2009! Deforestation and charcoal trafficking is at its worst with global warming and climate change being put on the back burner. Fuel for cooking is running out in Africa and rhino poaching and degradation of our natural resources is at an all-time crisis! But as gloomy as all this sounds I honestly believe that with the right tools, resources and people in place - we can make a difference! Once we have shown the world that you can make money across the supply chain, hence empowering people with choice, independence and human rights - this will make for a happier and safer world for global children to flourish in. Seeing the proof of the pudding in individual cases where people and communities have given us feedback on how the product has changed their life – that’s what brings me the greatest joy and satisfaction.”
Sarah shares some advice to other women looking to startup in business. She says:
“There is NO rulebook and it will be challenging at times, but if you have a passion for what you do and the determination to succeed then you can take on anything and conquer the world. It’s exhausting and relentless at times, but there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the fruits of your hard labour pay off. I also believe it is important to have a business or personal mentor. Someone who understands you and your business and will give you objective advice but is empathetic too, and who believes in you. Lastly, always trust your gut and believe in yourself! I was told so many times Wonderbag would fail or I wouldn’t have the courage to take it into the marketplace, but look at me now and what Wonderbag has done for Africa.”
To find out more about Wonderbag, visit the website www.wonderbagworld.com
