By: Amrita Naraine (ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc.)
On Friday afternoon, a meet-and-greet, featuring 21 women entrepreneurs was hosted by ActionIINVEST Caribbean Inc. This meet-and-greet facilitated the networking of women entrepreneurs with officials from ExxonMobil Corporation; Mr. Jim Jones, Director of the ExxonMobil Foundation and Ms. Suzanne De Abreu, Community Relations Manager of ExxonMobil Guyana.
These women had also participated in the first and second cohorts of the Road to Growth and Road to Finance programmes, two of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s flagship initiatives,
The Road to Growth and Road to Finance programmes are collectively executed by ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc., the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and the ExxonMobil Foundation.
Upon having graduated from these programmes, this faction of women entrepreneurs was extended the pleasure of demonstrating to the ExxonMobil Foundation, their line of products ranging from agro-processing, beauty and wellness, fashion, to events planning and management.
Here, the women entrepreneurs engaged the representatives of the Foundation on the impact of their investment on business literacy and education.
According to Mr. Jones, “Women and investing in women just makes really good business sense for us…when you invest in leadership, you are making sure that women have access to finance; making sure they have good business skills and that this programme exemplifies that investment. “
He said that the ExxonMobil Foundation assessed initiatives with micro financing and women’s networking intertwined. It was acknowledged that women entrepreneurs are committed to a social purpose.
“When women control their own income and they control their own savings, they reinvest that money back into their families, businesses and their communities,” Mr. Jones stated.
Empowered by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc. with the support of the ExxonMobil Foundation, the women entrepreneurs will soon benefit from the upcoming Road to Leadership programme in January 2023.
This programme is designed to specifically inspire leadership, break gendered, structural barriers along with advocacy strategies, tools and techniques among other visionary themes.
