International Women’s Day is Celebrated on March 8 every year, this day is symbolic of the historic journey women around the world have taken to better their lives. It comes as a reminder that while a lot has been achieved, the journey is long and a lot more needs to be done.
The past year
has seen great progress for women and girls around the globe. From Malala
Yousafzai winning the Nobel Peace Prize to Emma Watson’s viral #heforshe
movement, women took to the main stage and had their voices heard. On March 8,
the world will turn its attention to women and girls for International Women’s
Day, celebrating the many success stories and recognizing what still needs to
be done.
To celebrate
International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting 5 innovative social enterprises
run by and for women.
5 Social
Enterprises Run By and For Women
1. Sustainable Health Enterprises
(SHE)
By manufacturing
and selling inexpensive banana fiber menstrual pads, SHE is tackling girls
and women's lack of access to affordable maxi-pads in Rwanda. Not only is SHE
making the product, they are also partnering with entrepreneurs to create jobs
2. Catapult
Channeling much
needed resources and attention toward projects serving women and girls,
Catapult is a partner-based crowdfunding platform for a more equal world.
People around the world can find projects they care about—from maternal health
to economic security, and from gender discrimination to advocacy—and contribute
funds.
3. The Empowerment Plan
The Empowerment Plan focuses on two things: jobs and coats. Based in Detroit, this social enterprise employs and trains homeless women to construct a garment that serves as both a coat and a sleeping bag. Homeless individuals within the community receive these coats at no cost. The Empowerment Plan is also shaking up the nonprofit model by running and functioning like a traditional garment business, and they help their employees grow professionally through teaching and utilizing a market-valued trade skill.
4. Black Girls Code
Tackling the
gender tech gap, Black Girls Code is empowering young women of color between
the ages of 7 to 17 to embrace the booming tech marketplace as the next
generation of coders. Through after school programs, hackathons, a summer camp,
and more, Black Girls Code introduces programming and technology across the
United States to young girls, who hold the key to the next disruptive tech
innovations and their own futures.
5. Pipeline
Fellowship
Angel investing
is an overwhelmingly male dominated field: in 2013, only 19% of U.S. angel
investors were women and only 4% were minorities. Pipeline Fellowship is out to
change that. Through their angel investing boot camps and pitch summits, they
work to increase diversity in the U.S. angel investing community and drive
capital toward women social entrepreneurs.
Author:
Anupama Rai
Principal
Lakshay International School
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