Women entrepreneurs suffer untold misery as they try to build their businesses and still remain cool to their friends and families, but the journey is frustrating and many women give up along the way.

However, in a move set to end the pains women founders go through trying to build their businesses,  the UN Women and Mara Foundation have agreed to work together to enable, empower and inspire women entrepreneurs globally. The two-way collaboration between the two firms will ensure women entrepreneurs receive mentoring, training and business tools to shine in the overly competitive global market.

Speaking about the partnership, Ashish J. Thakkar, Founder of Mara Foundation, said: “Having founded my own business at the age of 15, I understand all too well the challenges that face entrepreneurs setting up a business. These challenges are even greater for women who continue to lag behind men when it comes to gender equality in the workplace.

“I hope that through the combined efforts of UN Women and Mara Foundation, we can create a level playing field for women entrepreneurs and a solid network of women business leaders who will continue to inspire other women for generations to come.”

 

UN Women and Mara Foundation will employ the ‘Mara Mentor’to gain access to valuable business advice, online networking opportunities and training materials. ‘Mara Mentor’ is also available as an app to help users connect, anytime, anywhere. The two will also use the resources found at UN Women’s Knowledge Gateway for Women’s Economic Empowerment which has resources and tools for women’s economic empowerment, crowd-source feedback on innovative ideas and to connect women entrepreneurs and workers with experts, peers, networks and potential partners.

With a combined network of over 80 country offices around the world, the two organizations expect women entrepreneurs to connect with policymakers, researchers, teachers, students, civil society activists, investors, social change-makers; access resources and training for the development of business skills; and develop an understanding of how to overcome specific challenges to gender equality.
Pleased with the agreement, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said: “Women’s economic empowerment is essential to ending poverty and advancing gender equality and we are pleased to partner with the Mara Foundation to make greater progress.”

“Women have a right to equal opportunities and equal access to resources and training. When women are empowered and barriers removed, the benefits ripple outward to many others, making economies more inclusive andstronger. Through this partnership, we hope to accelerate gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Africa and beyond.”