By Lauren W. (feat. H.E. Tom Fletcher, Eric Kuo) | TYO Headquarters Intern
Want to make a mother smile this spring? Make a mother's day on Mother's Day with your $50 contribution towards business training workshops for women entrepreneurs in Lebanon. With your generous donation, you will receive a note card set of five cards featuring gorgeous watercolor scenes from historic Jerusalem!
This has certainly been an exciting spring for the women of TYO’s WEL program! Over the past few weeks, a number of noteworthy visits have taken place, motivating our budding entrepreneurs and giving them their much-deserved moment in the limelight.
“You are proving that glass ceilings are breakable…Lebanon would be more prosperous and stable with more women in the boardrooms and cabinet rooms… I believe you will be the people to prove it.”
– H.E. British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher
FEBRUARY 2012:Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
Closing out the month of love, WEL program stakeholders from the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women showed the WEL participants some love with a visit to WEL’s Beirut offices at the end of February. CBFW Business Support Programme Coordinator Priya Patel and Business Support Programme Manager Lucy Hayter had the chance to meet with program participants Ms. Rima al Rachid, Ms. Soumaya Jokmak and Ms. Houwayda Sharaf el Dine. (If you remember, Ms. Rachid is hard at work laying the groundwork for her Tiling Manufacturing Company; Ms. Jokmak is still wowing with her cavities for a cause (delectable traditional desserts!); and Ms. Sharaf al Dine is feeding hungry Lebanese families with her mouth-watering catering business.) A special visit by His Excellency Mexican Ambassador Jorge Alvarez, an avid WEL supporter, rounded off the three-day tour fantastically!
MARCH 2012: H.E. Ambassador Tom Fletcher
Wrapping up March on the heels of International Women’s Day, WEL participants received a special treat as the honored guests of His Excellency British Ambassador Tom Fletcher at his home in Beirut. Ambassador Fletcher played host to a select group of accomplished women in business, education, media, sports, and arts in Lebanon, including prominent journalist and EU Ambassador May Chidiac, actress, comedian, and drama therapist Zeina Dakache, and Olympic sports star Andria Paouli; WEL participants were overjoyed to have been selected amongst this celebrated group of high-achievers.
APRIL 2012: Columbia University's Pangea Advisors
Earlier this month, Mallika Daswani, Eric Kuo, and Eric Amaso, representatives of the Pangea Advisors group from Columbia University’s Business School spent time on the ground in Lebanon investigating strategies to enhance online platforms for digital marketing and awareness-building. The Pangea team encountered the warmth of Lebanese hospitality, the savory palatability of Lebanese cuisine courtesy of WEL entrepreneurs, and the frustrations of the Lebanese financial system as they learned about measures blocking interest rates in Lebanon. An insightful, impactful, and inspiring visit for all!
“Entrepreneurs in the region are met with uncommon challenges, but these challenges are clearly compounded for aspiring women entrepreneurs. TYO has developed creative solutions in order to overcome these hurdles, which can have a significant impact not only for women entrepreneurs but for the entire region as a whole.”
– Eric Amaso, Columbia Business School, MBA Candidate, Class of 2013
With a parade of new faces taking note of the ambitious women of WEL, we hope that you too might take note of the incredible work these women are doing to reverse the “brain drain” of successful entrepreneurship in Lebanon. This year, you can make a mother’s day on Mother’s Day by supporting TYO and the women of WEL. Donations of $50 or above receive a note card set of five cards featuring gorgeous watercolor scenes from historic Jerusalem!
Your continued support is tremendously appreciated. Stay tuned to more updates on TYO's blog!
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