UN Women Multi Country Office in South Africa, in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and Hand in Hand, invites you to a half-day event celebrating small business owners on Thursday, October 1st, at the Riversands Incubation Hub in Fourways, Gauteng.
The event is the culmination of an initiative called the Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs Project (EWEP), which offers business skills training to women small business owners throughout South Africa. EWEP offers trainings on record keeping, inventory management and separating business and personal income, among other basic business management skills. Started just three years ago, EWEP has already reached more than 15 000 women in South Africa. These women own spaza shops and take-away restaurants – they fuel their townships, cities and communities. 150 of the women who have been part of EWEP so far will be present at the event, where they will have the opportunity to share experiences, network, and celebrate all that they have achieved. This is the chance to get to know some of the women many South Africans interact with every day. The day will start with speeches by representatives from UN Women, Coca-Cola and Hand in Hand, as well as motivational and business talks by Yvonne Kgame, the founder of YBK consulting, and National Project Coordinator for the International Labour Organization, Cebisile Nyame. The women will then sit at tables to discuss their experiences, focussing on the themes of staying motivated, managing the expectations of family members and maintaining work-life balance, among other more technical themes. Journalists will have access to the whole event, and will be provided with lunch. One-on-one interviews with speakers and programme participants can be arranged during the lunch and tea breaks, as well as after the event on the day, or at a later stage. The Riversands Incubation Hub, where the event is being held, is a space funded by the Gauteng Government and the Jobs Fund where business, community and social entities can collaborate to build large-scale, majority black-owned and run businesses from SMEs, supporting upliftment and sustainable job creation.
We hope to see you there. If you would like to attend, please let us know and you will be sent a press packet, which includes the stories of some of the participants. Date: 1 October, 2015 Time: 9:00 ¬ 14:00 Address: Riversands Incubation Hub 12 – 8 Incubation Drive, Riverside View EXT 15 Fourways, Midrand, Gauteng
