#CryptoForAfghanWomen
This year we are launching an initiative providing funding for 100,000 WOMEN in Afghanistan to use crypto for a week’s worth of food. This will create a peer to peer ecosystem allowing the Afghan women to be self-sufficient and non reliant on the government or bank’s mercy. Please see “Crypto For Afghan Women” in partnership with OPENGRANTS.io to support positive social and economic change from a ground up approach, especially for those 2.5 Billion people unbanked that are mostly impoverished women, and to celebrate, empower and support women entrepreneurs globally!
Women in Afghanistan are facing a crisis and need YOUR help! Following the US withdrawal and the transition to the new government, Afghan women and children are extremely vulnerable and in dire need of financial resources. WEDO (The Women’s Entrepreneurship Organization) has been active in Afghanistan since 2014 and is partnering with OpenGrants.io to answer this need through a new initiative, #CryptoForAghanWomen.
This is where YOU come in! By donating just $10, the price of a Starbucks coffee and dessert, you can feed a family in Afghanistan for one week. Together, we can make a difference, so please join us and donate whatever you can!
This innovative program provides 100,000 Afghan women food for a week through the creative means of the cryptocurrency peer to peer ecosystem, allowing for full traceability and transparency. The use of blockchain cryptocurrency gives Afghan women the financial resources they need without having to rely on the fragile banking system. The mission of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization is to support positive social and economic change from the ground up (especially for those 2.5 Billion people unbanked, who are mostly impoverished women) and to celebrate, empower, and support women entrepreneurs!
WEDO, through its global female network, connections and resources, has created this initiative to offer an efficient means to quickly provide aid to Afghan women through immediate access to cryptocurrency. The Crypto For Afghan Women program has been launched to support the Women of Afghanistan during this disruptive and destabilizing time.
Afghan women and children have been disproportionately affected by the humanitarian crisis and are now desperately facing a growing food crisis. Crypto For Afghan Women is the best solution to provide the quickest means of direct financial support to the Women of Afghanistan during this difficult time. Through the Open Grants system, each woman will receive $10 in cryptocurrency through a digital wallet that will allow her to feed her family for the week.
The goals of this program are to:
1) Provide women with immediate access to capital
2) Support continued economic development and opportunity to women in Afghanistan
Website: give.exchange
We would love your support! Volunteer! Anything! To connect, please email us at missy@womenseday.org.
WEDO Strongly Stands Behind BiPartisan Legislation To Support Women Entrepreneurs and To Fuel The Economic Recovery
Now is the time to pass Bipartisan Legislation specifically designed to support women in business and to revive the Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise (ICWBE). Female entrepreneurs are of critical importance in our economic recovery. The bipartisan legislation ensures that women entrepreneurs can access the critical government resources they need to help them to start, grow, and sustain their businesses. WEDO, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, stands behind Representative Grace Meng and the bipartisan coalition to make passing this legislation a priority.
Women entrepreneurs, especially women of color, were hit particularly hard and suffered the greatest impact from COVID-19 and the pandemic. A key part of our economy that is often overlooked in government and federal programs is supporting and inspiring current and future women entrepreneurs. The growth of women becoming entrepreneurs and starting their own businesses has exploded over the years. It’s imperative that the level of government assistance to these brave and bold women must also increase substantially. That is why WEDO actively advocated for the 2019 introduction and the 2021 reintroduction of the Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise Act to the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps Grace Meng (D-NY) and Maria Salazar (R-FL). It was also reintroduced in the Senate in 2021 by Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Susan Collins (R-ME). Female members of Congress, inspired and led by Representatives Grace Meng and Maria Salazar, understand that women entrepreneurs are a fundamental cornerstone and key to our economic recovery.
WEDO, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, works with individuals and group leaders within government organizations to advocate for greater support of women and to educate leaders on the social and economic benefits of women entrepreneurship. WEDO believes that the reintroduction of the legislation will play a critical role in providing well needed and timely support to women entrepreneurs. The legislation’s primary goal is to revive the Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise (ICWBE), an inactive government agency responsible for coordinating federal resources to help women-owned businesses. It was created in 1979 and terminated in 2000.
The time is now to pass the legislation to reauthorize ICWBE and to increase support to women entrepreneurs! In a press release issued by Representative Meng’s office, she said, “Helping women business owners succeed and thrive is a ticket to helping ensure a strong economy as well as creating jobs and spurring innovation, and our bipartisan legislation would make sure that women entrepreneurs can access the critical government resources they need to help them start, grow, and sustain their businesses.”
Adding to the urgency, Representative Maria Salazar shares, “Women own 1 in 3 of every small business and that number has only grown over the last year. We must continue to work together to give women the resources and tools to further fuel this entrepreneurial spirit. I am proud to join Congresswoman Meng in introducing this bipartisan legislation that will build economic strength for women at a time when it is needed most.”
Women entrepreneurs are the Perfect Storm. According to Dr. Joseph Coughlin of the MIT AgeLab, “The future is female.” Women succeeding in business is exactly what our economy and our society needs, especially now. Government recognition of their critical importance in our economy is paramount to their success in addition to being a fundamental part of a sustainable economic recovery.
WEDO stands behind Representative Grace Meng and the bipartisan coalition of the US House of Representatives working to make this legislation a priority to support women in business and to provide the critical resources women entrepreneurs need in order to succeed.
WEDO Initiates launch first-ever Women’s Disability Startup Cohort Program
The Women’s Disability Startup Cohort Program became a reality for disabled women around the world, thanks to WEDO’s Founder Wendy Diamond’s fierce drive and determination along with Judy Heumann, an internationally recognized disability pioneer’s inspirational participation at the WEDO 2020 Summit. The partnership of 2Gether International and WEDO, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, led to the creation of a life changing program focusing on disabled women in business. Disabled entrepreneurs traditionally face greater obstacles and challenges in establishing successful businesses. The Cohort Program is an innovative platform specifically targeting support for disabled women in business while also providing well needed financial resources and mentorship.
WEDO, The Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, and it’s Founder, Wendy Diamond, initiated the first ever, “Women’s Disability Startup Cohort Program,” an innovative program specifically focused on supporting disabled women in business while also providing well needed financial resources and mentorship.
The powerful 2020 Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp” opened the public’s eyes to the social, economic, and political challenges many people with disabilities continue to face. The film spotlights a New York summer camp for children with disabilities, and how it motivated many camp attendees to become leaders of the disability rights movement.
Deeply moved by the film, Wendy Diamond, WEDO Founder, was immediately inspired into action by inviting Judy Heumann, one of the film’s featured activists to a live interview at the WEDO 2020 Virtual Summit. Judy, featured on the cover of TIME Magazine for her work by focusing on women with disabilities, shared her passion for normalizing disabled women into society. With over 61 million Americans dealing with disabilities today, Judy has committed her entire life to advocating and advancing the rights and quality of life for all disabled people.
Their dynamic conversation at the WEDO2020 Summit led Wendy to create a startup cohort for women with disabilities, soliciting financial support from WEDO Board Member Loreen Arbus, (whose family funded the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation.) Loreen, whose lifelong mission has been fighting for the disabled and marginalized members of society, generously committed to funding the cohort. Searching for the ideal partner for the program, Judy introduced Wendy to Diego Mariscal, CEO of 2Gether International, an organization that supports entrepreneurs with disabilities. Diego clearly saw the immense value in Wendy’s vision. Together they joined forces and launched the first-ever – Women’s Disability Startup Cohort Program!
On July 26, 2021—on the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act is the date when the Women’s Cohort Pitch Competition was held and pioneering history was made! Six women entrepreneurs with disabilities presented their products and services to a panel of judges for an opportunity to win funding and mentorship.
Wendy’s innovative initiative directly led to Google funding a new $300,000 tech cohort. Diego Mariscal was overwhelmed by the support and generosity, exclaimed “The ripple effect of the friendship and generosity from Wendy and Loreen has been truly transformational both for me and for the organization. I can’t wait for us to change many more lives together.”
The Women’s Disability Startup Cohort Program became a reality for disabled women around the globe thanks to Wendy’s tireless drive and determination to make things happen along with Judy’s inspirational participation in the WEDO Summit. This life changing program clearly demonstrates the significant impact the WEDO connections continue to have upon society and women in business.
When women support women, there is an undeniable and powerful impact where the entire world wins!
Funding impoverished women with microloans to start their own entrepreneurial endeavor – Providing a HAND UP not a hand out in partnership with Opportunity International!
WEDO, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization, is making a world of difference by providing previously unexplored opportunities and resources to impoverished women around the world! Through high-impact solutions, WEDO and Opportunity International have joined forces to support and empower women and girls, to uplift them out of poverty.
Together, these organizations have positively impacted the lives of thousands of women, because we believe that every person on the planet deserves the chance to live free from poverty, with dignity and purpose.
- • Women currently make up less than 4.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs in the United States
- •According to Oxfam International in 2020 alone, women around the world lost more than 64 million jobs, the equivalent of 5% of all the total jobs held by women globally. Loss of jobs due to the pandemic cost women around the world at least $800 billion in earnings, a figure that is more than the combined GDP of 98 countries!
- • Women-owned businesses are set to grow 90% over the next 5 years, with 500,000 new businesses in the U.S. alone each year!
- • Chocolate chip cookies, computer code, Kevlar (the bullet-proof material for protective vests, etc.) and the windshield wiper all have something special in common: THEY WERE INVENTED BY WOMEN!
- • An educated woman is one of the single most powerful forces for change on this planet. Economists have discovered that “the girl effect” occurs when you empower a young girl with a long-term education, she devotes 90% of her greater earning potential back to her family, the education of her children, and building her local community, which elevates her family from poverty and changes her world.
- • Women have a 97% repayment rate for micro-loans which make them ideal candidates for starting small businesses.
WEDO SAUDI ARABIA hosted a nation-wide entrepreneurship training program for 60,000 female college students and early-stage entrepreneurs. 25 young women received funding to launch their own businesses.
WEDO NEW YORK sponsored disadvantaged girl students from Restart Academy to attend the WEDO Summit at the United Nations. ReStart Academy provides educational services for 13–21 year old students in transitional settings, including juvenile justice, substance use treatment, mental/behavioural health treatment, hospitals, social services agencies, and other temporary or involuntary settings. Our goal was to help make their dreams come true by giving these enthused young girls the exposure and opportunity to be inspired and network with successful women leaders, entrepreneurs, and business game changers! WEDO believes in the necessary knowledge of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) for success in the future tech industries.
WEDO NEW YORK – During the WEDO Summit in the United Nations’ Delegates Dining Room, WEDO donated 1000 microloans to impoverished women to be economically empowered to start their own businesses through a partnership with Opportunity International, to administer the loans.
WEDO NEW YORK sponsored 50 disadvantaged girls to attend the WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL
WEDO OMAN announced an initiative to empower women and girls by using their votes against arranged marriages.
WEDO CROATIA sponsored donating one scholarship of 10,000 Kuna to a female entrepreneur for a Business Management degree.
WEDO URUGUAY, in partnership with a local university, offered 20 scholarships to the girls present at the WEDO summit.
WEDO PHILIPPINES educated 1000 rural women with financial literacy – all over the world WEDO’s Ambassador team is making an impact!
WEDO COLOMBIA provided 200 women Entrepreneurs for legal and accounting advice to enhance their start-ups.
WEDO TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO have created the largest business directory with 250 women owned businesses.
WEDO ZIMBABWE in partnership with Masvingo Polytechnic, trained and funded 15 impoverished women to create their own soap enterprises
WEDO YANGON, MYANMAR sponsored 20 women business grants and 50 rural women financial literacy training.
WEDO MINNEAPOLIS has donated $12K to the Women’s Foundation Initiative Innovators and Programme and $12K into leadership in economic opportunity programme for women of colour, indigenous women and the LGBTQ community in greater Minnesota.
WEDO SAN FRANCISCO presented 20 disadvantaged girls scholarships for a summer dance program. WEDO Idaho funded 25 high school students to participate in a business pitch competition.
All over the world WEDO’s Ambassador Team is making an impact by empowering women and girls globally!