The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, DHL Express, and AWIEF have announced the launch of a ground-breaking partnership to equip women across South Africa with vital entrepreneurial skills and support.
This intervention comes at a most crucial period of Coronavirus-induced disruption, forcing women entrepreneurs to keep pace with today’s digital world. For their businesses to survive, they require practical knowledge and resources to move online.
To this end, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has added new learning modules to HerVenture in digital marketing and e-commerce, supporting women to navigate the ‘new normal’.
The Foundation mobile learning app, HerVenture, was developed solely to assist women-owned MSMEs in low and middle-income countries, helping them grow their businesses and further expand their entrepreneurial skills and mindset.
A 2019 report by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) revealed that of all SMEs in South Africa, 47% (529,000) are owned by women.
As it obtains in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in South Africa is worsening the existing inequalities women entrepreneurs face.
Delivered through its partner AWIEF, HerVenture is set to reach at least 1,600 of these women entrepreneurs by the end of October 2021.
The training will mean greater business success for women across the country, bringing huge benefits to families, local communities, and the economy.
Currently, the app is available for use in Vietnam, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Kenya, and has supported over 41,000 women since it was launched in 2018.
With the support from DHL Express, it is now available for free to women across South Africa so they can acquire the necessary digital and technological skills to future-proof their businesses.
“Following HerVenture’s positive impacts on tens of thousands of women’s businesses in Nigeria and Kenya, as well as Vietnam and Indonesia, we are delighted to bring our flagship app to South Africa.
By partnering with businesses like DHL and expert local organizations like AWIEF, we can support women entrepreneurs in South Africa and beyond to fulfill their potential and make progress towards our shared goal of closing the gender gap in economic participation.” – Emily Scott, Director of Programmes, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.
Hennie Heymans, CEO, DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa added, “Our purpose at DHL is ‘Connecting people and improving lives’. Equality and inclusion remain key priorities for us as an organization, therefore our partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is an important step in supporting women-owned businesses.”
“Our exciting partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and DHL will surely take us to new heights in the women’s economic advancement and empowerment space in South Africa.
We are very thrilled about this new collaboration, and eager to witness the new app’s lasting positive impact on women entrepreneurs.” – Irene Ochem, Founder and CEO, AWIEF.
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