Meet the 10,000 Women Scholars
10,000 Women Nigeria
Cynthia
Cynthia, a young agribusiness entrepreneur, was struggling to post profit prior to enrolling in the 10,000 Women Enterprise and Leadership Program at Pan-African University in Lagos, but has since been able to rework her farm operations and position her company more strategically. She was even recognized recently as the "Business Owner of the Year" by the Nigeria Future Awards.
Cynthia has said that one of the greatest benefits of the program was that it has "exposed me to think beyond me and reason deeply like a business executive," rather than a woman "running a business out of her handbag." She has said that she is no longer the "lonely entrepreneur making decisions on my own," and has also become a resource to others in her community, passing on class notes to women in church, and encouraging family members and friends to pursue similar opportunities. "In my church and around my circle of influence," she has said, "I am now a resource person...people come to me to discuss their challenges in business."
Tuokpe
Several years ago, Tuokpe left a stable legal career to pursue her passion for fashion design and begin her own business. She ran her business on her passion and creativity alone, and said that prior to enrolling in the 10,000 Women program, "I had been running a business for several years, but not really doing business." Now, she is building on her talent and operational strengths, and taking critical steps to make her business truly scalable and realize her vision of a global, contemporary brand of African fashion.
In fact, as her business has begun to grow, Tuokpe has already invested a portion of her profits to provide tutors for the illiterate tailors she employs. This not only positions her and her enterprise for greater growth, but is also a perfect demonstration of the multiplier effect of investing in women.
Mary
Mary runs a company which operates an online education portal and schools directory, and publishes "The Learning Guide" magazine, a family guide to education and parenting.
After enrolling in the program, Mary more than doubled her revenues after negotiating a new sales contract with her advertisers. She has credited her coursework and mentoring relationship with much of her success, and represented the potential impact of the program when she said, "I have doubled my revenue since starting the program...and it has been a wonderful experience. But it isn't just about a program, it isn't just about scholarships, and it isn't just about courses; it is about 10,000 Women just like me...The saying, 'When you empower a woman you empower a nation,' has never made more sense to me than it does now."
10,000 Women India
Sreedevi
Sreedevi owns a photography studio she inherited from her late husband and father-in-law. When she took over the business more than a decade ago, it was not financially sound, but she has since opened another branch, and employs 30 people. She has said, "I came into the business through much struggle. I lost a lot of business as I was constantly competing with me other men... a woman in a man's business. Now I feel more confident and my vision is on the long road and not on short cuts."
Mehjabeen
Mehjabeen started her business five years ago based on her desire to bring the flavor of Mumbai's popular ice cream dessert to Hyderabad. Business grew slowly at first, but positive word of mouth soon led to increased sales, and Mehjabeen said, "I needed to learn how to brand my product...to expand my base, and learn about more modern techniques of my trade."
Mehjabeen currently fields orders from five-star hotels, and now has eight employees and established outlets across the city. She has said, "Till now, I was in the business as if by default, but here I learnt about strategy, marketing methods, and how to run my business in a professional way."
Sunitha
An accident forced Sunitha to leave her managerial job as a training and development expert at a computer firm, but it also allowed her to discover her love of flowers, and inspired her to open her own boutique. Sunitha went into business as a florist in 2007, and enrolled in the 10,000 Women program at the Indian School of Business to learn how to scale her business, and address her biggest challenges, such as people management and tough competition.
Sunitha says, "This course has educated me on how and why strategic positioning is imperative to my business." Quickly applying that knowledge to her operations, Sunitha has utilized retail and web marketing to diversify her business, and now employs a staff of four. "Since I started this enterprise a year ago, I have been trying to do everything myself. I need a focus and this program game that in ample measure."
10,000 Women Egypt
Hend
Hend is a silver jewelry designer and maker. An English teacher by profession, she is pursuing her passion for art and design, having completed a mentorship ...currently working out of her home, and taking steps through the 10,000 Women program at the American University in Cairo to realize her goals of significantly expanding her operations and developing a global brand for herself.
"Women in Egypt have been queens, but they are almost never successful entrepreneurs. Business has always been the arena of men. And while queens inherit, entrepreneurs build. And that is what I and my fellow students aim to accomplish. We aim to build a new business arena where women can sustain themselves. I feel like I have been given an extraordinary new opportunity, and now I want to spread it like fire."
Gihan
Gihan is the Owner of "Bodyshake", a comprehensive health and fitness center for women in Cairo. Gihan has a medical background, and her business goal is to simply help people enjoy better life, and help women realize their full potential. She strives to have the premier specialty center for body reshaping and health balance, and through the 10,000 Women program, she is learning to enhance her marketing efforts and expand her networks in order to do just that.
10,000 Women Rwanda
Nadine
Nadine, a widow from Kigali, runs a handicraft cooperative with other women in her village. She started her business two years ago, painting beads and selling them to the other ladies who make jewelry from them. Nadine's household income is roughly 37 dollars per month, and her goal is to have enough money to provide for her family -- including six children of her own and one adopted child. Her dream is to one day own her own shop, where she will sell her beads and other handicrafts and expand to reach new markets.
As one visitor to Nadine's business reported, "We travelled to one of the poorest, most abject slums in Kigali to meet with her cooperative. I spent two inspirational hours talking to women who are desperate to secure a steady income which will enable them to feed their children. Nadine has taken on this challenge, and armed with the knowledge she has gained from the program, she is helping these women escape from their misfortune."
Julienne
Julienne, a mother a four, is the only woman in Rwanda to own an auto repair garage. She started her vehicle spare parts business in 2002, and as her income and return on investment increase, she plans to expand her enterprise by increasing her working capital and creating a business network.
Outside of her business aspirations, Julienne is working to help support others in her community. In addition to being a mother of four, Julienne also looks after ten orphans, and has even helped a few of them attend University – one in Rwanda, and another in China. Her goal is to have enough resources that will allow her to continue her support, and hopefully build a home that can serve others in need.
Christine
Christine, a mother of four children and one adopted child, started a business making wine from bananas in 2004. She currently has 40 employees and is producing one type of wine, but plans to roll out five more varieties over the next year. Christine is also working to secure capital that will allow her to buy new equipment and triple the size of her workforce over the next two years.
10,000 Women Brazil
Girciline
Girciline, a small business owner with a public relations background, is the first woman chosen to participate in the 10,000 Women program in Brazil. Describing what this opportunity means to her, she has said, "I stood on the shoulders of my mother, and through this opportunity, I hope my daughter...and many other women in Brazil and throughout the world will stand on mine."