Empowered Women International

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"EWI has empowered me to think of myself as a success. Success does not translate into a certain amount of money made. I have learned to sell myself better and to get my art out into the community."
— Deborah Schran, Class of 2007

Start Your Biz in 2012!

Spring 2011 Graduating Class.
Empowered Women International is now recruiting local immigrant, refugee and American-born women artists, artisans and social entrepreneurs for  our award-winning mentoring and business start-up training – the Entrepreneur Training for Success program (ETS). Through the Entrepreneur Training for Success (ETS) Program, participants…

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EWI Featured in Blog Post on Yahoo!

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Empowered Women International was featured in the inspiring blog post, “Welfare Mom Creates Million Dollar Biz: How She Did It,” by Sara B. Weir, detailing the entrepreneurial journey of the talented artist Trisha Waldron of the Trisha Waldron Designs.  The story highlights…

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Read Our Members’ Success Stories

Sharmila's henna
Want to know how EWI truly impacts a woman’s life? Read the success stories of some of our Entrepreneur Training for Success graduates and learn what a difference the organization has made in both their personal and professional lives. Click here to…

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Video Highlights EWI’s Impact

EWI Video Screenshot
Watch this video to learn how Empowered Women International transforms lives, fuels job creation, and nurtures entrepreneurship! The video features interviews with Entrepreneur Training for Success graduates, who talk about the impact their involvement with EWI has had on their personal and…

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EWI Artisan's Market

Handcrafted Gifts that Create Jobs and Businesses

Host an EWI Party »


Velma Crawford, Student in the Entrepreneur Training for Success 2011

Velma Crawford, Student in the Entrepreneur Training for Success 2011

Mission

EWI is an award winning non-profit organization that channels the entrepreneurial spirit, the arts and creative talents of immigrant, refugee and low-income women in the Greater Washington DC Metro area into small businesses that create jobs and a new generation of American leaders and entrepreneurs.

Services

EWI accomplishes this by providing mentoring and education that teaches practical workforce readiness skills for the American business culture in the arts and the creative industries. The organization offers a comprehensive model of empowerment, workforce development and self-sufficiency that includes:

  • A three-month intensive entrepreneurial training, Entrepreneur Training for Success (ETS) along with ongoing personalized coaching, mentoring, networking and support services;
  • A micro-enterprise program that allow ETS graduates to generate income and build a market for their products by selling their work through EWI’s marketplace and partner organizations;
  • A multicultural outreach program that presents visual and performing arts programs across the Washington DC area to further provide opportunities for our beneficiaries to connect with, participate, and give back to their communities.

Impact

In 2010, 308 immigrant, refugee and low-income women benefited from our comprehensive training, mentoring and support services. We tripled revenue from $55,000 to $158,000, and partnered with AmeriCorps to bring a full-time staff member in our team. EWI presented six visual and performing art programs and 36 artists markets across the Greater Washington DC area, which earned money for over 50 women artists and creative entrepreneurs, and benefited an audience of approximately 4,000 participants.

Got passion to get involved? Email Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com