Faced with the biggest global crisis in decades, many women entrepreneurs within low and middle income countries are experiencing severe impacts on their businesses, with the risk that this will lead to significant negative effects on their families and their economies. Many businesses are being forced to change the way in which they operate or suspend their services.
A new survey conducted by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, of women entrepreneurs in low to middle income countries, paints a challenging picture of the landscape and depth of need:
- 93% have already been negatively impacted by COVID-19
- Of those already impacted, 44% have ceased operations temporarily and 3% have ceased operations permanently
Impacts vary from access to customers being reduced or stopped completely, production or service reduction and supply chain problems. When paired with reports that they are also pivoting and adapting their offers and operations to address these impacts, women entrepreneurs are both struggling and innovating tremendously in the face of COVID-19.
In response to this challenging environment, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, in association with CW (Cambridge Wireless), Synergy Solutions and contributors from King's College London, King's Business School and the business sector, have built a programme of support for women business owners in low to middle income countries focused on helping them combat the effects of COVID-19 whilst preparing them to operate in the new landscape that they are faced with. The new programme, led by Olu Orugboh, CEO and Founder of Synergy Solutions, combines practical digital training with online tools, and was co-developed by the organisations involved in little under six weeks.
The programme will be made available for free to women entrepreneurs everywhere from June 1st at www.businessresilience4we.org
Support this vital work by making a donation at cherieblairfoundation.org/donate/donatenow
About the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women helps release the potential of women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries and close the global gender gap in entrepreneurship. Since the Foundation’s inception in 2008, it has directly supported over 160,000 women across more than 100 countries.
Through its combined approach of programmatic delivery and advocacy, the Foundation supports women to start and grow successful micro, small and medium businesses, with training, technology, mentoring and networking at the heart of its work. This opens doors to finance, markets, contacts and more, and enables women to create better futures for themselves and their families, enable their communities to prosper, contribute to strong economies, and move the world in a whole new direction.
cherieblairfoundation.org
About CW (Cambridge Wireless)
CW (Cambridge Wireless) is the leading international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless and mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies. cambridgewireless.co.uk
About Synergy Solutions
Synergy Solutions is a specialist digital innovator and consultancy practice focused on helping companies stay at the forefront of evolving technology and the ever-changing world of customer expectation synergyorganisation.com