Entrepreneurship
2009 Graduate Artist Naomie Belayneh with our intern, Zufan marketing art at an EWI event.
EWI’s Entrepreneurship Program creates jobs, sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurship and leadership among immigrant, refugee and other women in need by providing the business acumen, self-confidence and market opportunities needed to launch and sustain micro-businesses in the cultural industry.
Our approach is to capitalize on women’s unique skills, talents and cultural assets and teach them how to turn these into small businesses and career pathways.
We help women get ready for the market and launch small businesses by offering entrepreneur training, marketing and business coaching, marketing and promotional services, and retail opportunities for the goods women produce.
Similarly to Ten Thousand Villages and Aid to Artisans, two well-known organizations that enable artisans living in developing countries to sustain a livelihood from their work and create sustained change, EWI:
- Provides business and market readiness training, marketing coaching, help with product development, and market access,
- Ensures that its beneficiaries receive a fair price for their products and are paid promptly,
- Builds long-term, supportive relationships with its beneficiaries to help them build and sustain careers, support their families and contribute to their communities,
- Creates new markets and product sales for beneficiaries.
Upon graduation from the entrepreneur training, women not only learn how to market their work and make a living, but act as agents of change in their communities. Each graduate is required to provide 8 hours of service mentoring another woman in EWI’s program, presenting and/or teaching their art and skill in schools or other community organizations.
EWI’s model of entrepreneurship creates jobs and economic opportunities, and helps immigrant, refugee and low-income women to become engaged members of their communities as citizens, volunteers and mentors, transforming from a population in need of support to providing support to others.
To learn more and apply to EWI’s Entrepreneurship for Success Training go here.