Opportunity Collaboration Fellowship (Gender Equality and Empowering Women)

Women Business Center is a non-profit organisation that operates in South Africa to encourage women to take active role in entrepreneurship. The programme is designed to identify, develop and promote emerging women entrepreneurs to attain and succeed in businesses. As part of its initiative, we have launched series of programmes in which women take their skills, knowledge and motivation gained through networking to encourage each other. In order to make co-ordination possible, all women are grouped into teams that operate in different geographic areas within communities. Our role is to ensure that successful projects that benefit women are carried out within communities. The South African society and its economy has since 1994 positioned itself on a level of growth, development and redistribution that is informed by empowerment of historically disadvantage communities. This commitment and resolve has to be cascaded and integrated in all facets of society. We have found our space and role in contributing to this national development. It is based on this understanding that Opportunity Collaboration Fellowship becomes important. As a custodian of empowering women and an agent to create capacity for marginalized communities, we have positioned ourselves in order to form partnership with like-minded organizations to foster women empowerment. This role has been identified as one of the integrated strategic development of women not only in South Africa but Africa at large. The aim of our programme is to motivate women to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative and a viable option for self employment and wealth creation. Amongst projects being pursued within our programmes is Skills Training for Entrepreneurship Promotion for Women. This highlights impartation of skills, knowledge and motivation on various areas of new venture creation and the starting of sustainable businesses. It has further helped them access market, networked with top business women, create wealth and business opportunities. This has gone beyond the objective of paid employment of the participant by a company or factory – instead, women participating in the programme are thought to create wealth and employment opportunities themselves. Conclusions are drawn from presenting a bankable business plans to financial institutions for funding. Women Empowerment plays a crucial role in reaching the MDGs and it is based on this understanding that we found it necessary to develop strategies to create a platform where underserved women can realize their full potential, live in a safer and respectful world, and become financially independence. We have achieved this by focusing on socio-economic and educational programmes that helps to alleviate poverty. Using South Africa strategic location, capacity and resources it has become evident that the internal embryonic development of women entrepreneurship could be used as a catalyst to open a space for global discussion for the introduction of women entrepreneurship as part of overall economic development to end world poverty by 2015. Through this initiative 250 underserved women have had support, make their voices heard, gain more influence in the political and social processes that affect them and their families. Our partnership between Government departments, Public-private sector and International organizations for sometime has served as an intervention to realize entrepreneurship development, advocating for more recognition and support in helping to achieve the MDGs. Our succession plan is the continuous support for women and the vigorous involvement of all in contacts. We continuously strive towards development that meets the needs of women and the very poor without compromising the ability of future generations. The young feminist team targets dynamic young women interested in developing transformational leadership skills in their communities. They are young women with exceptional skills, exhibited leadership potential and tackle issues affecting women. They address key topics such as: Gender Justice and Equality, Women’s Health and Safety, Political Participation, Personal development, International Trade, Technology among others. Their leadership mindset works on eight common goals, they are preparing the way for the next generation providing an opportunity to demonstrate essential contribution to the MDG’s. This has also allowed our organization to re-affirm our commitment to helping to create a sustainable and more equitable world for our future generations.