Women’s economic empowerment can be a powerful driver of change. New opportunities not only improve the lives of individual women entrepreneurs but also have a multiplier effect, enhancing the quality of life for their families and communities.
The Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative, a key program of the ExxonMobil Foundation, partners with organisations that provide women around the world with access to training and tools that help them fulfil their economic potential and become more participatory in the economic life of their communities. From Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to Mozambique, tens of thousands of women in over 90 countries have directly benefited from these programs.
One of those partnerships is the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s “Road to Growth” program, which develops the business acumen and financial literacy of women entrepreneurs through workshops, coaching, networking and technology.
For ExxonMobil, increasing opportunities for women is reflected in the company’s commitment to supporting the economic and social change women can create, in all facets of the business, from supplier diversity and procurement to talent acquisition and community investments. For example, the company spends more than $500 million a year purchasing from women-owned businesses.
This International Women’s Day, Jim Jones, director of community programs at the ExxonMobil Foundation, caught up with Cherie Blair, QC, CBE, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, to talk about the importance of supporting women’s economic empowerment and the resilience “Road to Growth” participants, from Chioma and Ngozi in Nigeria to Lubet in Mexico, have shown in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn more about Lubet’s journey, watch here.
