Since 2012 we have been empowering women through our 12-month sewing and business skills-training program. Thanks to YOU, we've been able to provide life-changing skills to 316 women, impacting 1038 children. So far our impact has been wide.
Now we're going deep, with the same goal to empower women through education + economic opportunity. We've been feeling a stirring for over a year now that something new was on the horizon. And that time is now. So here's what Phase 2 is all about, replacing our original program model of skills-training classes and graduations:
Identifying the thriving CiH grads/entrepreneurs to join a co-op comprised of various businesses, from tailoring to chicken farming
Providing one-on-one business training and mentorship to these entrepreneurs
Equipping our new co-op members with the tools to take on their own apprentices, training other women in the community in their specific trade for a rapid, organic multiplication effect + income generation opportunity. The “skills training program” part will happen in homes, in roadside stands, under mango trees, anywhere and everywhere that is convenient for women in the community who need business and skills training (which are many)
Issuing business grants to the co-op to advance their businesses from micro-enterprises to medium-level businesses, employing other women and growing profits significantly
Encouraging group savings models, already a cultural practice, to also grow businesses sustainably