Succeeding in business is never easy. Entrepreneurs, especially women, face so many challenges ranging from limited access to capital, lack of essential business management skills for strategy and competitiveness, not to mention the capacity to juggle responsibilities. Most of these entrepreneurs struggle with these challenges daily and oftentimes end up shutting down their businesses.
The workplace is no walk in the park for the female career professional either. Despite the great strides made by women in the workplace, inequality still exists. The issue of gender disparities come in the form of unequal pay as male counterparts of similar academic qualifications and experience, limited access to deserved senior positions and disproportionate value for work done.
The WomenWork Network
As women try to overcome these challenges and close the gaps in career and business they have realized that more is achievable as a community of like-minded individuals. The WomenWork Network is one such community.
The WomenWork Network was founded by two female entrepreneurs; Isis Nyong’o and Asha Mweru in 2017. It started with a closed Facebook group and has organically grown over 3 years to over 4,000 women entrepreneurs and career professionals from diverse industries, leveraging the peer-to-peer networks in the community to grow their careers and businesses, support each other and deepen their knowledge base.
The Impact of Like-Minded Women Coming Together
Despite the challenges women face in the business and professional fronts, the value of a like-minded community is unmatched. Our members at WomenWork come together in webinars and other online events where we run engaging discussions tackling challenges in different industries, finding solutions and inspiration to become better at what we do.
The Rebuild Program With Mastercard Foundation
WomenWork partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to form the Rebuild Program to help female-led MSMEs weather the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on their businesses and to empower them with business skills. These interest-free business loans are available to small businesses across Kenya that have been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Access to capital and relevant skills is part of our mandate at WomenWork and we will be sharing our journey through this program to inspire others.
What to Expect from this Column
Expect raw and authentic discussions touching on the experiences of women in business and the workplace as we challenge narratives, demystify myths, and tell real stories.
Expect it all.
