Al Bayt Mitwahid Association Announces Winner Of ‘Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Initiative'

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 30th Jun, 2021) Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, in collaboration with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and the Social Care and Minors Affairs Foundation, have announced Jalila Al Hansali, Founder of Al Sana’a Centre, as the winner of the 2021 "Empowering Female Entrepreneurs initiative" and awarded her an AED250,000 grant to develop and start her business.

The objective of the initiative is to support the role of women in the SME sector and increase entrepreneurial literacy among women, enabling them to contribute to the diversification of the national economy. Fifty women with promising business ideas participated in the initiative, which included various training workshops over six months, with the support of entrepreneurial sector experts.

In the first stage, a committee representing each of the initiatives’ strategic partners shortlisted projects based on qualification criteria and feasibility studies. Fifteen projects progressed to the final stage, which included capacity-building training sessions focused on a business model and business plan preparations, financial management, and licencing requirements. Following the training, the group underwent a series of counselling sessions.

Saif Ali Al Qubaisi, Chairman of the board of Directors of Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, said, "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, utilising our strategic partners to support entrepreneurialism amongst women while improving their skillsets."

"We are extremely proud of Jalila for her comprehensive business plan, which will be a valuable addition to the SME ecosystem while providing job opportunities that will cater to families with customised lifestyles, dietary restrictions, or ones with elderlies, chronically ill members, and children of determination.

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Mouza Al Nasri, Acting CEO of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development stated, "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."

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 are confident that this is the start of a prosperous partnership."

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.

"Al Sana’a Centre is focused on house management and hospitality training, with each programme customised according to the needs of each family. This business concept was developed after I realised how societal differences affect the home management systems many families have in place to organise their daily lives. Al Sana’a Centre provides training programmes on general hospitality, house management, cooking methods for various dietary requirements, first aid training, amongst many more."

"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," she added.