“Giving women the chance to become financially independent and make the most of their talents is the key to higher living standards and stronger economies.”
For the past six months, I have been managing one of the most challenging projects of my life: Road to Growth Mexico, a Cherie Blair Foundation for Women program.
The program uses the latest technology to develop the business skills of women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. We are currently implementing a two-phased program for 500 women entrepreneurs in Mexico that will support them in growing sustainable businesses and have a positive impact in their communities.
One of the most important parts of this project was the Call for Applications which took place between October and November 2017.
The response of both the media and potential candidates was overwhelmingly positive.
We got published in some of the main Mexican Newspapers, such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Chilango, and even the cover of MásporMás.
We also conducted several Facebook Lives with institutions like Público CoWorking, where we discussed the importance of programs like Road to Growth in the Mexican entrepreneurial ecosystem and the gender gap.
By the end of November 2017, we received over 2000 applications.
For the past 10 years, I have always been on the other side of the media: making interviews, conducting research and finding relevant topics to publish for several magazines and newspapers.
This was the first time I was the one being mediatized, and it gave me a different perspective of how the publishing processes look like nowadays.
Some of my main conclusions of this experience were:
- video and digital content are more present than ever in all types of media,
- female empowerment is a trending topic in Mexico, and in other important economies of the world,
- women entrepreneurs are looking for training opportunities, such as Road to Growth.
The inauguration event and actual implementation of the courses are taking place in a couple of weeks. At this point, I am particularly excited for the opportunity to utilize my education and professional experiences to create a meaningful social impact in the world.
Even if it's only 500 women, it's 500 communities that are changing... and this is just the begnining.
Ready, set, GO!