Emerging Entrepreneurs

Some 1,500 survivors of gender violence in ten Southern African countries are reclaiming their lives through a powerful programme that brings together healing, coping and entrepreneurship skills that enable women to take charge of their lives. This GL project provides a framework for the development of potentially sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities through an integrated model of life skills preparation, business development skills training, mentorship opportunities and access to resources such as finance.

The aim is to test the hypothesis that economic empowerment will increase women's agency and self-realisation thereby increasing their ability to negotiate safe relationships or to leave abusive relationships and make positive choices about relationships. Read some of the womens' experiences.