Abu Dhabi, UAE: Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, in collaboration with Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and the Social Care & Minors Affairs Foundation (SCMAF), have announced Jalila Al Hansali, Founder of Al Sana’a Centre, as the winner of the 2021 Empowering Female Entrepreneurs initiative. The objective of the initiative is to support the role of women in the SME sector, with the aim of increasing entrepreneurial literacy among women, enabling them to actively contribute to the diversification of the national economy. 50 women with promising business ideas participated in the initiative, which included various training workshops over a period of six months, with support of entrepreneurial sector experts.
During the first stage, a committee representing each of the initiatives’ strategic partners shortlisted projects based on qualification criteria and feasibility studies. 15 projects progressed to the final stage, which included capacity building training sessions focused on business model and business plan preparations, financial management, and licensing requirements. Following the training, the group underwent a series of counselling sessions.
The committee chose Jalilah Al Hansali as the winning entrepreneur, awarding a AED 250,000 grant to develop and start her business.
HE Saif Ali Al Qubaisi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Bayt Mitwahid Association said: “At Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, we have always been keen to develop and support initiatives and programs that empower women across all aspects of society. Empowering Female Entrepreneurs is a fantastic initiative that plays an important role in supporting the role of women as contributors to the national economy. In recent years, we have seen a tremendous increase in women entering the entrepreneurial ecosystem and we intend to support this growth.
Our goal was to provide mentorship, training and counselling for women based in Abu Dhabi, through workshops and training sessions, utilizing our strategic partners to support entrepreneurialism amongst women, while improving their skillsets.”
He added: “Al Bayt Mitwahid Association has always taken pride in aligning its strategy with that of our UAE leadership; which is clearly reflected through this initiative. We’re confident that this is a promising step forward towards empowering Emirati women and enabling them to achieve financial independence, as well as to effectively contribute and become a viable part of the national economy in our preparation for the next 50 years.”
He concluded: “We’re extremely proud of Jalila for comprehensive business plan, which will be a valuable addition to the SME ecosystem, while providing job opportunities that will cater to families with customized lifestyle, dietary restrictions, or ones with elderlies, chronically ill members, and children of determination.
Mouza Al Nasri, Acting CEO of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development stated: “At Khalifa Fund, we believe that this initiative represents our continued efforts towards spreading and enhancing the culture of entrepreneurship, and empowering women. Khalifa Fund’s role in providing training and mentorship session to the women in this initiative is directly aligned with our core mission and values of knowledge sharing and entrepreneur development.”
She added: “We would also like to congratulate our partners at Al Bayt Mitwahid Association and SCMAF on the completion of this successful initiative, and we hope this will be the beginning of future collaborations between our esteemed organizations.”
H.E. Rashed A Al Hamli, Director General of the Social Care and Minority Affairs Foundation said: “As we conclude the Empowering Female Entrepreneurs initiative, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners at Al Bayt Mitwahid Association and Khalifa Fund for their constant support for the community. We’re confident that this is the start of a prosperous partnership.”
He added: “We believe that this initiative has served its purpose of furthering our mission as an organization, and as a country, in supporting the people who need support the most, as well as to promote and support social and community empowerment”.
Jalilah Al Hansali, Founder of Al Sanaa Centre said: “I am very proud to have been part of this initiative. It was an outstanding experience as I, and the rest of my fellow participants, got a chance to learn some of the most important information and practical knowledge any entrepreneur needs as they enter the field. Taking part in this experience has given me invaluable insights into how to be a successful businesswoman and contribute positively to the local economy.
“Al Sana’a Centre is focused on house management and hospitality training, with each program customized according to the needs of each family. This business concept was developed after I realized how societal differences affect the home management systems many families have in place to organize their daily lives. Al Sana’a Centre provides training programs on general hospitality, house management, cooking methods for various dietary requirements, first aid training, amongst many more.”
She added: “I would like to extend my gratitude to Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, Khalifa Fund and the Social Care and Minority Affairs for helping me bring my business concept to life.”
© Press Release 2021
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