Melinda French Gates says: “When we support women, we support those who support everyone else,” and this could not be more true. As mothers, employees, and entrepreneurs, women are the unsung economic heroes whose financial independence creates rippling impact beyond borders and spanning generations.

In 2023, AIW grew from a small grassroots solution, to a best practice - receiving local, national, and international recognition, taking the team to Todi for Social Enterprise Open Camp, to Rome for the International Day of European Foundations, and on the stage of TedX. Our professional culinary training program saw startling success, with 95% of graduates finding work after graduation.

Our program has become ever-more rooted in the community. Trainees came to Roots in a multitude of different ways, with the largest percentage (30% of total referrals), directly referred to the program from past graduates.

We launched the Ambassadors program, giving graduates the opportunity to participate as members of the association, designing future programs and serving as spokespeople at community events.

At our social enterprise restaurant, Roots, we onboarded two new roles, Program Coordinator, and Program Assistant who together have increased the efficacy of our training programs, onboarded new volunteers, and ensured post-graduate support for each and every graduate.

In 2023, the Roots model reached over 7.000 individuals, going beyond the doors of the restaurant and into the community to promote migrant women’s representation in leadership, and to support local non-profit activity. As a social enterprise, we maxed out our dinner service with 100% of services fully booked on average, and expanded to include private events, allowing us to finish our first full-year of activity with a positive balance sheet.

In 2023, we accomplished so much, but are just getting started, with plans to expand our training programs, develop opportunities for continued learning for graduates, and launch a business incubation program for aspiring entrepreneurs, we are driven by our guiding statement: Investing in women is investing in future.

-Caroline Caporossi, Founder & President, AIW