Women Entrepreneurs Prevent Dangerous Migration

For International Women’s Week this March, HERA 2022 Grantees from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine will share their stories of breaking barriers to launch and operate innovative businesses.  The online event will take place on 4 March at 9:00 am PST and 6:00 pm CET (see Eventbrite link below).  The HERA teams invite our contributors, grantees, assessors, partners, and the GlobalGiving community to join us to hear the impact of your contributions on the lives and work of some of our 2022 grantees.

As background for the upcoming event, this Quarterly provides some metrics from the 2022 International Grants Competition and figures of HERA’s operations since the program began in 2010.  The report covers grant awards, types of ventures, investments, partnerships, and evaluation outcomes. The relevant figures, photo, and links may be found at the end of the report in the order discussed.

• Grant Awards: In 2022, we awarded 52 grants to 19 Armenian women, 13 Georgian, 13 Moldovan and seven Ukrainian (in country and refugees).  We also provided resettlement support to seven Ukrainian families in Western Europe and North America. Since HERA’s founding, we have provided 453 grants.  

• Types of Ventures: The ventures ranged from social enterprises to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) operations. In 2022, STEM ventures included videography, infographics and data analysis, digital marketing, accounting, and IT and finance training.  As the bar chart below shows, HERA grant awards, in the early years, were concentrated in agricultural/food processing and manufacturing ventures. Over time, as the program has grown, the ventures have become increasingly diverse.  With more women entrepreneurs with digital expertise, this diversification is evidenced in both rural and urban areas.  In 2022, two of the Georgian STEM ventures serve rural communities. 

• Grant Investments: In 2022, the average grant size was $647 (EUR 611). With inflation in all four countries, the average grant amount is projected to increase in 2023. The total expended for grants to date is $297,191 (EUR 277,321). This total does not include assessment, training, mentoring, and overhead costs. These latter costs remain low because HERA board members, local coordinators and mentors, and trainers volunteer expertise and time.  As the pie chart below shows, the level of grant investment varies by country. In 2010, HERA teams gave the first grants in Georgia and Armenia; in 2012, added the Moldova and Ukraine programs; and from 2013-16, Romania. The Romania program was discontinued because of the availability of other donor funding for women’s ventures. 

• Partnerships: In 2022, HERA teams partnered with other organizations working in: Armenia (3), Moldova (1), Georgia (1), and Ukraine (1).  Since HERA’s founding, we have collaborated with over 12 local and international organisations. This year, “Centrul regional de dezvolta socio-economica” in Cahul presented the Moldova team with a poster (depicted below) celebrating our “Ten Years of Cooperation”. In addition, a 2021 grantee, who HERA helped to resettle in Paris, founded "Way to Healing" to provide Ukrainian refugee women with emotional and psychological support. In a Komune interview (see link below), she shares her life history, refugee experiences, and why she founded "Way to Healing".  

• Evaluation Outcomes: During 2022, our assessment teams evaluated another 26 ventures funded in prior years.  HERA teams returning a year or more later make site visits and use standardized criteria to rank each venture. Businesses that have shut down and/or where the woman entrepreneur has migrated (not counting to escape conflict) are ranked as "unsuccessful".  In contrast, ventures experiencing 10% or more annual growth and adding at least one or more full time employees are ranked as "highly successful". Due to the war in Ukraine, the team could not do site evaluations this year. However, HERA reached out to all former Ukrainian grantees to offer resettlement support and assistance to restart their ventures in Western Europe and North America. One Ukrainian, who has resettled in Belgium, restarted her travel website and helps Ukrainians with transport for resettlement. In Ukraine, 2021 grantees from Zhytomyr, Cherkassy, and two in Kiev report that they are continuing to provide products and services: bakery/food for troops, an after-school business program, and psychological support to children in conflict areas.  

These metrics and figures provide a backdrop for each of the panelists' unique stories. In celebration of International Women's Week, six women entrepreneurs across the four countries will address  “Breaking Barriers”, on Saturday, March 4 at noon EST.  Each will recount her experiences of founding and managing a micro or small business.  Together the businesses cover waste recycling, children’s wear, food take away/delivery services, outdoor children’s education, hybrid English education, and furniture making. Dr. Paul Stekler, a documentary film maker, three-time Emmy award winner, and HERA USA Vice President will chair the event.  The audience spans at least 12 time zones from San Francisco to Tbilisi, and beyond. Wherever you may be, join in at the Eventbrite link below to hear the impact of your generous support. 

Links:

• Invitation to Event
• ITW OKSANA FR/EN