Mobile solutions for Arab Women Entrepreneurs

TYO is thrilled about our new three-way Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitment with long-time partners, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and SoukTel. We will expand our work with each organization and coordinate efforts in order to offer women entrepreneurs cutting-edge mobile technologies to advance the launch and take-off of their businesses.

Specifically, our 2010 CGI Commitment to Action has two components:

1. Distribution lists will be used by TYO and other partners to share useful information with the women in our entrepreneurship programs including business tips, financial management advice and also knowledge related to women’s health, motherhood and personal development. Once they launch their businesses, we will help the same entrepreneurs develop their own distribution lists so that they can publicize their business and send potential clients promotions by SMS.
2. SoukTel will build a closed network of entrepreneurs from our joint projects with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women as well as mentors. Through this mobile phone network, participants will have real-time and low-cost access to knowledge and advice by sending a question via SMS to the entire group, and receiving replies for free directly on their mobile handset.

Mrs. Blair and Mohammad Kilany of SoukTel spoke on a CGI panel about innovative mobile solutions last week (see above), where our innovative initiative was received with great enthusiasm by fellow panelists and audience members. In particular, the partnership’s ability and commitment to address women’s comprehensive needs as businesspeople, individuals and parents was recognized as having great potential for impact and sustainable social change. Stay tuned for our CGI progress reports through the year!

Nablus’s Deputy Governor offers Support and Wisdom

As part of the information-gathering and outreach phase of “Fostering Women Entrepreneurs in Nablus,” our cooperation with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, TYO staff members met Ms. Anan Atteereh, Deputy Governor of Nablus, and Director General of the Governorate (at center in photo, with FWEN project manager Fatima Irshaid at left, Wynne Mancini, TYO Center Director and Nell Derick Debevoise, TYO Director at right).

Ms. Atteereh had some wonderful perspectives to share about our project, based on her own experience as well as a variety of initiatives that the Governorate is pursuing. For example, a Council on Employment has been convened by the Governorate of Nablus to address a variety of issues related to unemployment, with particular focus on youth and women. In addition, the Palestinian representative office in Milan is planning an exposition of Palestinian products in April 2010, in an effort to facilitate their entry into European markets. Of course, we were thrilled to hear of these initiatives, given our recently launched efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment.

Ms. Atteereh spoke eloquently about the obstacles to full employment in Nablus, particularly for marginalized groups like women and young people. However, she also presented an inspiring and well-reasoned perspective about necessary next steps toward a stronger economy. For example, the Ministry of Labor had offered to provide thorough statistics about the labor market for the use of Nablus’s new Council on Employment, but hadn’t yet provided such data. Ms. Atteereh still hopes to receive this information as an essential first step in the Council’s work, but also is working to commission original studies here in Nablus so that the Council might proceed more quickly and efficiently. She cited the importance of planning: a frequent stumbling block for projects in Palestine, whether because of the volatility of the political situation, constraints imposed by donors, or otherwise. Ms. Atteereh was clear about the emphasis that her office is trying to put on the planning phase of their work, as well as their efforts to promote planning skills among smaller project implementers and local business owners.

We are grateful to Ms. Atteereh for her perspective, great effort and interest in TYO’s work for the children and women of Nablus. We look forward to working closely together as we move forward with our respective endeavors.

Mrs. Cherie Blair talks about our Partnership

Mrs. Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is interviewed by Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation and Washington Note at the Clinton Global Initiative 2009 in New York. She addresses the issue of women’s economic empowerment in the West Bank, and a new initiative that her Foundation is pursuing in partnership with Tomorrow’s Youth Organization, which was founded by fellow CGI member Hani Masri.

Next step in cooperation with Cherie Blair Foundation

Following Mrs. Cherie Blair’s visit last week (May 3), TYO has moved to the next step of cooperation, submitting a proposal for a joint project with the Cherie Blair Foundation in honor of Mother’s Day yesterday. We suggested an eight-month pilot project that would train members of TYO’s community (university volunteers and mothers of our participants) in life skills and design and marketing techniques. The outcome of the project would be to produce modern items reflecting traditional Palestinian embroidery skills for international sale. The larger goal would be to empower women as creative and productive community members, promoting financial security for themselves and their families.

CBF staff are reviewing the proposal so that we can continue our discussion about working together in the coming days. In the meantime, we wanted to share the following information about CBF’s work:

The mission of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women is to provide the business skills and tools that will enable women across the world to realise their potential and achieve economic independence and success.

Women with economic security and independence have greater control over their own and their children’s lives. Economic empowerment also gives women an influential voice in tackling injustice and discrimination in their own communities and in wider society.

“I am passionate about championing the cause of women. Whenever I can, I do so through my professional life as a human rights lawyer.
And I also have used my higher personal profile over the last few years to take the message out to any audience which will listen to me.
So I have spoken to audiences about the importance of women’s rights here across Europe and North America but also in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. And wherever I have been, I always tried to grab the chance to meet with women to discuss the challenges they face in their own societies.
I have always found these meetings fascinating and frequently inspiring. When you hear first-hand, for example, of the role women are playing in healing the scars of Rwanda, you leave humbled by their courage but also determined to do what you can to help.
What has also struck me is the widespread desire of women in the developing world for advice and support from those of us who live in the more developed countries. They feel such help would not only have a real practical benefit – whether with advice on how best to tackle discrimination or, for example, expand their businesses – but would also play a major role in boosting morale in their fight to improve their lives.
I have also been encouraged by the fact that, whenever I have mentioned this to women in countries like our own, there has been a real enthusiasm to provide this help and support.
That is the reason I have set up the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. Its aim is to help women across the world to realize their potential by promoting and supporting their economic independence and empowerment. In particular, it seeks to promote women’s role and leadership in the global economy by enhancing the growth of women-owned small and medium enterprises in the developing world.
Women with economic security and independence have much greater control over the lives of themselves and their children. It also, importantly, gives women a more influential voice in their communities and wider society to tackle injustice and discrimination.” – Cherie Blair

About the Foundation
Given the prevalence of informal self employment in many African and Asian economies, the expansion of successful micro enterprises into employment-generating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is of great importance for economic growth. As women are the primary participants in micro finance programmes, the growth and further expansion of these women-owned enterprises is essential.

Evidence shows that the enterprise gender gap widens for established business owners (enterprises existing beyond 42 months), suggesting that women face specific barriers to establishing and expanding vibrant businesses. Although no single barrier explains the gap, studies find that women entrepreneurs are less likely to have knowledge and experience in financial management and are less likely to have and utilize business networks – two critical areas for successful business.

While micro finance programmes often provide a basic level of training in financing, women looking to grow their businesses will require a much higher skill level in finance and management. The market currently lacks training and networking programmes to support women in this expansion and micro finance providers have expressed great interest in linking their most successful clients (approximately 1-3%) to a more advanced business development programmes. The CBFW will do just that, partnering with micro finance organizations and business service providers to develop a new programme to support women entrepreneurs grow into and thrive at the SME level.

Mrs. Cherie Blair visits TYO Nablus

TYO was honored to receive Mrs. Cherie Blair in Nablus on Sunday, 3 May 2009 along with Henriette Kolb, a colleague from the recently founded Cherie Blair Foundation. The visit was Mrs. Blair’s first stop on a 3-day trip to the West Bank. Her time in Nablus included a luncheon with a range of accomplished artisans and businesswomen from Nablus, a tour of the TYO Center, and focus group discussions with TYO volunteers and mothers of TYO participants. The day’s activities were designed to identify needs in Nablus that could be addressed through cooperation between TYO and the Cherie Blair Foundation.

The discussions revealed a great deal about the challenges to doing business in Nablus, as well as the aspirations of the members of each group. Several volunteers presented Mrs. Blair with examples of their handicrafts while explaining how the economic situation in Nablus prevents them from creating viable business ventures here. “There is an appreciation for embroidered handicrafts in our culture, but they cost too much to make and most local women cannot afford to purchase them for their homes,” said Economics major Rawand, 23, from Khallet al-Amood neighborhood in Nablus. “The purchasing power must come from the outside. However, we struggle with how to package and sell our crafts to a foreign market.” Mrs. Blair engaged in a rapid-fire brainstorming session about ways that the volunteers could apply their very advanced handiwork skills to products that would be sought after internationally. The volunteers responded in kind with great enthusiasm about the opportunity to benefit from such guidance.

Other young women spoke of the importance of practical experiences and personal development. “Before volunteering at TYO, I did not have any hope in the future. Here, I found that I have worth. TYO showed me that in order to use my degree and my skills, I must first appreciate myself,” said Aya, 21, from Beit Furik village near Nablus. “Volunteering at TYO showed me that I need more exposure to children in order to better implement my degree.” Aya is currently studying Sociology at An Najah University and hopes to become a social worker for child prisoners in Palestine.

Athare, 22, a Management Information Systems major from Nablus city echoed her peers’ sentiments. “Soon after I started volunteering at TYO, I came to understand the importance of personal development and diverse experiences. If I don’t have practical experiences, I won’t get a job. Opportunities in Nablus are extremely limited and even opportunities abroad, which culturally are seen as only for men, have significantly decreased due to the financial crisis. Now, the majority of the people who graduated in my field last semester are unemployed.”

While the young women were not shy to share the somber economic realities in Nablus with Mrs. Blair, no one present displayed the slightest hint of discouragement. They affirmed the importance of the opportunities that TYO has presented them with to gain practical experience, and the potential of a business incubator or other training program as proposed by the Cherie Blair Foundation. The volunteers emphasized their eagerness to engage their skills to improve their family’s well-being and stability, and that of the community at large.

TYO staff are already hard at work on developing a proposal about ways to operationalize the day’s discussions into a collaborative project between TYO and the Cherie Blair Foundation. We are very grateful for Mrs. Blair’s dedication to the cause of women’s economic empowerment around the world, and her commitment to and interest in the West Bank and Nablus in particular.

Photo of the Day: Cherie Blair Visits TYO

Mrs. Blair (far right) listens to Athare (far left) speak about her experiences at An Najah University.

On Sunday, 3 May 2009 Cherie Blair honored the TYO Center with a visit to discuss cooperation between her new Foundation and TYO. Many of the women participating in TYO Volunteer Program and Women’s Program spoke to Mrs. Blair about their experiences at TYO and in Nablus.

Please continue to check back throughout the day as TYO adds updates to the blog about Cherie Blair’s visit.

Read more to see more photos of Mrs. Blair’s visit to TYO.