Over sixty women graduate from the ‘Mentoring for Success Programme’, launching their micro-businesses across Jordan.
Date:
Amman, Jordan. Mowgli Mentoring, in partnership with UN Women and with the generous support of the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis (the "Madad Fund"), organized a graduation ceremony which saw 69 women graduate from a six-month micro-entrepreneurial mentoring programme.
The programme, which was aimed at improving the lives of women micro-entrepreneurs in Jordan, was launched earlier in the year with mentees selected from the Governorates of Karak, Maan, East Amman, Zarqaa, Tafileh and Shobek matched with carefully selected Mowgli trained mentors from the same areas, taking on a holistic approach that supported the mentees personal and professional development.
'We are honored to have worked with UN Women within this impactful programme and support the micro-entrepreneurs through 360-degree mentoring. Throughout this programme, we’ve seen that mentoring provides a safe space where the women can share their experiences and overcome challenges with the support of their peers. The gains are clear, 30 per cent of the women who were not economically active were able to establish new businesses, which means that they are well on their way to create sustainable sources of income that pour into their host-community’s economy' affirmed Kathleen Bury, CEO of Mowgli Mentoring.
Engaging both Jordanian and Syrian refugee women, the programme provided one-on-one business mentoring led by trained Mowgli mentors. The mentors took on a shoulder to shoulder relationship with their mentees supporting them to further develop their confidence, motivation, mindset, leadership, and resilience to overcome interconnected challenges faced by women in pursuing and sustaining their own business initiatives.
‘Promoting women’s economic empowerment is critical for Jordan to achieve its goal of inclusive economic growth. Women need a holistic set of services to enter and remain in the market with their businesses. The mentorship approach can increase the chances for entrepreneurship initiatives to be successful and sustainable. This can also have a multiplier effect on the local economy at the Governorate level, as women are engaged not only as wage-earners but also as job-creators for other women in their communities’ affirmed Ms. Hazar Asfoura on behalf of UN Women.
The programme “Mentoring for Success” also includes a dedicated component for mentors to develop and enhance their competencies, whereby mentors now have access to the Mowgli Mentor Alumni Network to continue providing support to other women both across the region and globally.
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Eva Waweru at Mowgli
Communication specialist
eva.waweru@mowgli.org.uk
Susan Al Hilo at UN Women
Youth and Advocacy Specialist
Tel: +962 790919680
susan.alhilo@unwomen.org
About Mowgli Mentoring
Mowgli Mentoring is a not-for-profit organisation driving inclusive economic and social change in the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Mowgli’s unique, award-winning methodology provides a supportive framework which empowers entrepreneurs, corporate employees, women and youth to unlock their potential and seize new opportunities.
Over the past decade, Mowgli has worked with philanthropists, and local and international governmental and private sector partners to provide mentoring across 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK. Mowgli has trained more than a thousand mentors who have supported entrepreneurs from across all sectors and levels including micro, refugee and SMEs), women, youth and corporate leaders They create and ensure the retention of jobs, producing a significant economic and social return on investment.
About UN Women
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide.
The EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis (the "Madad Fund")
Since its establishment in 2014, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis, the “Madad Fund", has mobilized almost €1.5 billion, including contributions from 22 EU Member States and Turkey, to support more than 2 million Syrian refugees and local communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the Western Balkans, and Armenia. The "Madad Fund" helps both Syrian refugees and local communities get better access to education, job opportunities, healthcare, water and protection services. The "Madad Fund" also contributes to a stronger and cohesive society, with a particular focus on children, youth and women.