Women Entrepreneurs Prevent Dangerous Migration

This Winter Update provides a few reflections and stock taking of HERA’s work that informs our directions in the coming decade.  The HERA community, including many generous donors, works to prevent young women’s economic exploitation and slavery through supporting women’s entrepreneurship and employment.  Counter trafficking programs traditionally address demand-side factors – law enforcement, information campaigns, and supply chains.  In contrast, HERA focuses on young women themselves, who are at risk.  By supporting women’s entrepreneurship and economic autonomy with grants, training, and mentoring, together, we believe that we can counter some of the major factors leading to economic exploitation and slavery.  In so doing, we witness firsthand how young women survivors, with their demonstrated strength and resilience, and women entrepreneurs in regions with high rates of migration, gain economic autonomy and improve the economic welfare and status of many women in their communities.

Since 2005 HERA has organized entrepreneurship and mentor training beginning with our first programs in Belgrade and since 2008, with Imperial College in London.  Over the years, HERA has trained 1026 people in eight countries – 624 in entrepreneurship and 402 in mentoring.  This past year, the HERA UK teams, who to date have trained 343 women in London, added 18 new young women survivors and their mentors. In this past quarter, the 2019 women graduates and their mentors have continued to attend and actively participate in Wednesday Wisdom’s business seminars organized with private sector partners.  At AmEx, the women were trained in social media, marketing, and public speaking. Salesforceprovided the graduates with a session on “Negotiation Skills” and for three of the HERA leadership team, a workshop on “Mentoring for Good”.  Salesforcealso hosted the annual HERA UK holiday party.

A survey of 17 of 18 respondents from the 2019-20 cohort of “HERA women” found that eight are studying full time, nine are volunteering (seven in the charity sector and two in the private sector), and 14 are actively working with their mentors on a regular basis.  One has found paid employment as a caseworker.  Since most are in limbo about their status and awaiting an immigration decision, these data of their activities are especially impressive.  

Each year we appreciate hearing some of the good outcomes from the HERA network of graduates, organizers, and mentors from past years.  This year a HERA graduate just had her short story published in Ambit, a London literary and arts magazine, that has helped the careers of several famous writers since 1959.  Other graduates report having employment they enjoy at Xeroxand John Lewis. An artist has had several installations and is showcasing cutting edge pieces online.  Former HERA organizers are working for Facebook, a major London foundation, and for refugee organizations. Several organizers, mentors, and graduates have launched ventures. Thus, on 1^stDecember 2019,  HERA UK launched the “Charitable Sandhu Foundation Award” to provide grants to four HERA alumna ventures in the UK. 

Beginning in 2010, HERA also launched the first international grants program in Georgia and Armenia. Since that time, HERA’s volunteer assessment teams have provided 315 grants in five countries.  In 2019, following the 7^thAnnual International Competition held online, four HERA teams provided grants with an average size of $666 (ranging from $68 to $1070) to 62 women entrepreneurs in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.  Two teams, with local partners and former grantees, also provided entrepreneurship training in Kyiv and Yerevan for over 60 women entrepreneurs.  Traveling far and wide, each team visited women’s ventures in agriculture, food processing, architecture, the arts, manufacturing, education, retail, and services. Together with the women entrepreneurs, many of whom contributed to the purchase, the teams then bought several overlock sewing machines, a freezer, loom, pottery wheel, wine casket, computers, etc. for the successful applicants to “grow their ventures”. 

The HERA grant impact goes far beyond the award size.  Many women report that the award is the first time that all the hard work and risks they have taken to launch their ventures, are recognized. With the award, the women entrepreneurs often decide to reinvest some of their own funds to purchase more equipment and grow further. All commit to do their best to train and employ other young women at risk.  Those with ventures in remote villages, in regions with ongoing conflict, in internally displaced person/refugee settlements, and in post-Soviet industrial by-gone towns, have attested that their entrepreneurship is making a difference not only to their own families, but also to young women at risk of dangerous migration and trafficking.  This year alone, the 62 grants will help maintain and/or create 81 jobs in the four countries. 

With the financial and in-kind support of a few companies, several hundred individuals, and two private foundations, HERA remains highly cost-effective.  In 2019, our grants, training, and mentoring program expenditures totaled $95,228 - -  $45,935 for the UK and $49,293 for the International Grants organized by the HERA France Association.  That total represented an average cost of $2,552 for each UK women survivor to receive intensive entrepreneurship training, a year of regular business seminars, and a trained mentor.  HERA UK also maintained its 4% overhead for all its administrative costs.  Likewise, the HERA France Association provided 71% of its funding for the grants, 2% for entrepreneurship training, 25% for assessment costs, and the remaining 2% for administration (bank and accounting fees, and insurance). This ratio makes HERA one of the most cost-effective, small business programs in the sector.

In the coming decade, we plan to increase and grow the impact of HERA’s work both at home and abroad.  We are pleased that others are taking up variations of the HERA model in their own organizations. However, continuing this approach depends on the efforts and contributions of the entire HERA community.  Thanks to the generosity of many friends, colleagues, and anonymous contributors for the 2019 End-of-Year Campaign, we can already plan for our 2020 Grants Program, Mentoring, and Training.  But we are only 50% of the way to continuing this same level of effort.  Please consider supporting us in GlobalGiving’s Upcoming Girls’ and Women’s Campaign.  Your support goes far!  For supporters in London, please join us at this year’s, International Women’s Day Event. Thank you all once again.

As we  head into the last days of 2019, the HERA team would like to update you on our activities and accomplishments this past year that you have generously supported.  

With your support, we were able to:

• award 56 grants, representing 58% of 176 applications, to women entrepreneurs in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to hire and train young women at risk of dangerous migration and trafficking;
• send four volunteer teams to visit 116 ventures on the ground, assess 102 ventures for grants, and evaluate 21 funded last year; 
• train, with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), 43 Armenian entrepreneurs (95% women);
• hold HERA UK’s Annual London Summer Entrepreneurship Program for 18 trafficked women survivors at Imperial College's Innovation Centre, Salesforce, PwC, and London School of Economics (LSE); 
• match 13 new mentors and five mentors volunteering a second year with the 2019-20 cohort of HERA women graduates in the UK;
• organize monthly seminars at Salesforce Tower and Weil law firm, for all women survivors and their mentors, who have attended HERA programs.

Your support for this year alone allowed  HERA UK to: 

• support 18 young women survivors to develop their personal and professional career aspirations and skills for future employment;
• assist the women in obtaining leave-to-remain, apprenticeships, internships, and scholarships to continue higher education; and
• since 2008, provide entrepreneurship and business training and leadership skills to a total of 344 women survivors in London.

and the FRANCE ASSOCIATION to: 

• create at least 45 new jobs this year for young women at risk of dangerous migration and trafficking in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine;
• scale up and sustain women-owned and social enterprises in education, agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, social services, fashion, and the arts; and
• since 2010, provide a total of 310 grants for women venture owners to scale up their businesses and hire and train young women at risk of dangerous migration and trafficking.

What follows are three accounts of where your support this year has made a difference:

• Mentor Training in London: In September, HERA UK organised an ““Immigration Landscape” seminar with an immigration lawyer for this year's mentors. The session was held at the Weil, Gotshal and Manges Law offices. The women survivors' uncertainty about their immigration status is the major obstacle they face in pursuing their career aspirations. Although they try to maintain their high spirits and the plans and momentum gained during the Summer Entrepreneurship Training, they find that being in limbo with lengthy immigration waits can be very demoralizing. These waits have also increased and can even take up to 10 years.  During the Immigration Seminar, the mentors learned how to help the HERA women continue their professional development in ways that would not jeopardize their future immigration status.  Experienced mentors, who had signed up to volunteer for a second year, also shared how best to help women maintain their spirits and determination in face of these uncertainties. The session allowed all the mentors to meet and support one another as well.

• Entrepreneurship Workshop in Armenia: Held at AGBU’s lovely offices in Yerevan, HERA and the AGBU Women Entrepreneurs  Program organized a full-day workshop for 43 venture owners. Entrepreneurs travelled from all over Armenia to attend and AGBU livestreamed the workshop globally.  Clorama Dorvilias, a former HERA mentor and organizer currently working at Facebook in California, skyped in to deliver the keynote address. Clo spoke about her journey as an entrepreneur and the role of social marketing.  As she observed following the event, “It's not every day one can say that they spent an hour at midnight giving a career talk to a class of female entrepreneurs in Armenia.” The young women owners especially appreciated Clo's insights about her own journey and using social media effectively. Three HERA team members followed with sessions on the "Elements of a Good Venture"; "Analyzing Your Venture’s Cash Flow"; and "Pitching to Different Audiences and Investors".  Timothy Straight from Homeland Development Initiative Foundation (HDIF) then discussed current trade barriers and prospects for Armenian entrepreneurs to trade internationally.  For the final session, an AGBU team member led a panel of four experienced women entrepreneurs: a social entrepreneur; beekeeper, baker, and dried fruit producer. All had received grants from HERA and/or AGBU. When the moderator asked the women how the grants had affected their work, they reported feeling “empowered”, “responsible to help other women entrepreneurs”, and "a sense of responsibility and trust”. 

• Architecture Firm in Kiev: Tanya, an architect and interior designer, was displaced from Donetsk during Ukraine's conflict with Russia. With five years of prior work experience, she founded “Nut Shell”, an architecture and design firm in 2017.  She currently employs two women: her sister (25 years of age) and a friend (27 years) and periodically, hires seven young women between 21 and 30 years of age, who work on specific projects. To date, Tanya has delivered 30 projects in Ukraine and Germany and completed numerous concept designs  for which she uses smart technology and eco principles. Tanya observes that architecture is a very male-dominated industry, where sexual harassment occurs frequently in the workplace. Her aim is to create a positive work environment for women in architecture.  The HERA team in Ukraine funded a projector for Tanya's business meetings and for the training which she provides to other young women starting in the field.  These training sessions also allow Tanya to identify and recruit talent for her own projects. The team further funded a printer so that Tanya can offer a new workstation.

Why HERA?  

From 2005 to the present, HERA UK and the France Association, with the aim of preventing some of the most egregious forms of modern slavery and violence against women, have:

• since 2005, trained over 1000 women entrepreneurs, women and men mentors, and young women survivors in entrepreneurship in eight countries so as to provide sound economic alternatives and employment for young women;
• developed and supported new businesses and networks of women entrepreneurs and mentors in Eastern Europe and the UK to stop trafficking and support survivors;
• partnered with over 30 local NGOs, several local business associations, and seven universities; and
• supported several hundred volunteers (averaging 60 each year) to assess, train, mentor, and/or organize services to support young women’s economic autonomy and empowerment.

By supporting women-owned ventures to scale up and hire young women at risk and providing entrepreneurship training and mentoring for survivors, HERA works to prevent trafficking and re-trafficking.

Why Your Support Matters? 

Launched in 2012, the GlobalGiving campaign contributions, have helped to sustain HERA’s work for the past seven years.  Through the volunteers' support and good partnerships with local organizations, HERA attains an overhead rate of 4% in the UK and keeps assessment, advisory, and training costs for the international grants’ program at 30% or below.  Thus, HERA ensures that all contributions directly benefit young women survivors and the women entrepreneurs. 

For the upcoming 15^thyear (2020), your contributions will once again help in scaling up women’s microenterprises to support young women’s employment and economic empowerment in regions with high rates of labor exploitation, dangerous migration, and trafficking. Your contributions will also build on young women survivors’ resilience to provide them with entrepreneurship training, business advice, new social networks, and mentors to pursue their professional aspirations in the UK.  

As a team, we believe that our volunteer model of supporting ambitious young women survivors and those at risk of dangerous migration and exploitation is one of the most cost effective ways to address and prevent this form of modern slavery.  However, we could not do this work without the financial and volunteer support of many generous individuals. Thank you! 

End-of-Year Campaigns

Please consider contributing to HERA on “Giving Tuesday”, December 3rd, when your donation may be matched by GlobalGiving. Or, if you give at any time before the end of this year, you can help us towards reaching our funding raising goal of $80,000 for the upcoming year’s programs in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe.

We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season ahead!