Beneficiaries
Who Do We Serve?
Working on jewelry technique. Pictured from left: Kata (Hungarian jewelry designer) and Sharmila (graphic designer, henna artist, and jewelry designer from India)
EWI creates sustainable livelihoods and empowers low-income, immigrant and refugee women, often unemployed or underemployed, isolated and overlooked by our system. Women beneficiaries of our programs are artists, artisans and creative entrepreneurs, ready to turn their talent, passion and ideas into a successful small business.
Due to both their gender and their status as newcomers, immigrant and refugee women face many hurdles. These include cultural and social isolation, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, unemployment, and depression. All of these barriers prevent them from integrating into their communities, improving English language fluency, earning better paying jobs, and becoming engaged and productive citizens.
These women also have to contend with the fact that they don’t fit the standard image of “impoverished populations,” because they are often educated, well-trained, and speak multiple languages. Despite these considerable assets, they find themselves in dire circumstances and are often unable to employ these skills to their own advantage, as well as to that of the wider community. These obstacles serve to make them seemingly invisible and increase their likelihood of falling through the cracks.
Interested in learning more about our member services? Click here.
Would you like to join EWI as an artist member? Click here.