GUWAHATI: A project on economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and start-ups by women in the Northeast was launched at Siloam in Meghalaya on Tuesday.
German Association for International Collaboration (GIZ) is implementing the project titled ‘Her & Now’, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in partnership with the Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE), to promote aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs in India.
The project, also being implemented in Rajasthan and Telangana, will look to improve the overall framework conditions for women-led businesses in India, an official statement issued here said.
Following a round of selection interviews, 80 aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs have been invited to participate in the first round of the incubation and acceleration programme. The entrepreneurs have come from various parts of the Northeast with enterprises and business ideas ranging for handcrafted products to organic food to fitness centres.
Dhriiti – The Courage Within, has partnered with GIZ, to be the regional implementation partner in the Northeast and lead the incubation and acceleration programmes in the North eastern states.
The event marked the formal beginning of the programme activities and also celebrated women entrepreneurship in the region.
Dekyi Yangchen Dolkar Gyatso, a successful woman entrepreneur from Sikkim who runs the Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse, and Natalie West Kharkongor from IIM Shillong shared their perspectives with the participants.
Julia Karst, Project Head, Her & Now, GIZ was also present along with other representatives from GIZ and Dhriiti.
The launch will be followed by a series of three kick-off camps for the first cohort of the programme in Shillong, Imphal and Jorhat this month.
Further, through a series of capacity building sessions, individual mentoring and customised support, the programme will equip the participating women entrepreneurs to build and grow their enterprises, achieve business milestones and realize their potential.
Over the next two years, Dhriiti will be providing incubation support to 130 women-led startups and acceleration support to 40 women-led enterprises in the region.