wellbeing

SME Response Clinic hosts webinar on Practical Solutions for Improving the Wellbeing of Women Entrepreneurs

A version of this article was originally posted on the SME Response Clinic

 

The SME Response Clinic held a webinar on practical solutions for improving the wellbeing of women entrepreneurs at Kigali Public Library on the 8th of December 2021. The webinar was part of the Building Back Healthier Series that was launched with a talk show on KT Radio on the 18thof October 2021 and followed another webcast on practical strategies to deal with stress held in November. The series is organized in partnership with the Geruka Healing Centre.

The objective of the webinar was to inform, inspire, and share knowledge and skills that businesswomen can use to better their wellbeing when dealing with day-to-day stresses of running a business while managing other responsibilities. In addition, the webinar dove into practical techniques for increasing psychological safety and productivity and how to optimize the workplace especially for women entrepreneurs.

The webinar featured a mental health expert, Adelite Mukamana, M.Sc., with two active businesswomen, Scovia Umutoni and Amina Umhoza. Mme. Mukamana started the session with a fantastic example to help the audience have an in-depth appreciation of mental health and wellbeing:

 

Our mind is like an engine of any car.  No matter how good-looking the car might seem on the outside, without the engine, it wouldn’t start. The car can only move when the engine is working in full force. Think about your mental health and wellbeing like that. When something is wrong with your car engine, you look for a mechanic. The moment you feel that your mental health or wellbeing is struggling, look for professional help.” 

 

 

Scovia’s Experience:

Scovia Umutoni is Founder of KGL Flour Limited, an agribusiness factory that produces maize flour – locally known as Kawunga – and animal feed. Before the pandemic, she was employed elsewhere, but she lost her job like many others when the pandemic hit. Undeterred, she decided to invest her savings to create her own business.

While exciting, it proved to be a very challenging time because once she started her business operations, Rwanda went into lockdown, putting everything on hold.

By the time lockdown was over, while many businesses were back up and running, Scovia’s target market including schools and hotels were still not operational. She started to feel frustrated and uncertain about the future. Scovia thought quickly and decided to change her approach, targeting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She has been serving customers in DRC since then, and as Rwanda has begun to recover, she has started to deliver her products locally.

Scovia believes that women entrepreneurs often face specific challenges based on the fact they are women. When she ordered a corn flour machine to start her business from a local businessman, Scovia struggled to get the machine in the agreed-upon two week period. It took engaging male friends to visit the provider with her for Scovia to get the machine two weeks later than promised. Scovia is certain that had she been a male entrepreneur, she would not have had to resort to engaging friends to help her. This is just one example of common obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs, many of whom were also disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

During the pandemic, Scovia took a step back to reflect on her businesses and to think of new strategies to improve operations. Recognizing the importance of her own wellbeing, she took a number of actions to improve her mental health, including listening to music. Her business life is not without challenges – she still faces challenges like being a woman in a male-dominated industry and travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic – but she doesn’t intend to stop. Scovia has learned that challenges will always exist, and what is important is to look for solutions to deal with them.

 

Amina’s Experience:

Amina Umuhoza is Founder and CEO of SAYE – DUKATAZE LTD, which aims to fight unintended pregnancies in young Rwandan women due to menstruation stigma. Her company provides young women with reproductive health information, menstrual hygiene management, and economic empowerment by selling products produced by young women through technology and community engagement.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed SAYE’s operations, and like many other businesses, the company took its business online during lockdowns. This major shift in operations led Amina and her colleagues to question whether they would attain their goals, and Amina had to work hard to balance competing priorities. For instance, the company had to use profits planned for investment to instead pay employee salaries to ensure proper staffing and employee satisfaction. Choices like these have allowed Amina to ensure SAYE continues delivering on its business and social objectives throughout the challenges of the pandemic.

Like Scovia, Amina also faces challenges unique to being a woman entrepreneur. A key example is negative comments from others, including social media bullying. It is not uncommon for Amina to receive questions about plans to marry when she posts about new products or partnerships. She believes that these comments come from cultural beliefs about the role of women, but things have started to change as the government has been educating Rwandans on the role of a woman in societal, family, and personal development.

The hardest part of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic for Amina was to ensure she was strong and resilient for herself as well as for her co-workers and employees. Amina used the lockdown as productively as possible to ensure a positive mindset, reflecting on herself and catching up on important paperwork. This cheered her up, and that feeling encouraged her to reach out to co-workers through virtual platforms. Amina also managed to take care of action items she had postponed or put off pre-pandemic, which provided SAYE with new opportunities after lockdown.

Building Back Healthier:

Scovia and Amina seek to thrive as businesswomen, but this is not always easy. Both receive negative comments based on stereotypes nearly every day; for example, the idea that as women entrepreneurs they can only be successful if they are married. Adelite Mukamana disagrees with this stereotype. “We often hear that the development of women depends on a man. Scovia and Amina are true examples that a businesswoman can run her business smoothly and shine through all circumstances, and we hope they are good examples to our fellow women in the Rwandan society,” she says.

Both entrepreneurs agreed on one fact – one chooses her or his own mentality, and a positive sense of wellbeing is key to carrying on in the face of adversity. Adelite Mukamana agrees. “We act how we think, and we decide how to think,” she says.

Women entrepreneurs are typically challenged by balancing work and home life. Amina believes that marrying to a partner who supports you and who understands your vision is a crucial element for a success as a businesswoman. Mme Adelite Mukamana, both an expert in her field and a mother, advised businesswomen to not be afraid of having families since a woman is a human being that is capable of carrying out multiple tasks. She advised women to launch businesses regardless of their family lives if they’re confident they can do it. She also pointed out that men shouldn’t be threatened by women’s economic empowerment and their partners’ success but instead focus on growing together.

Visit the SME Response Clinic for tips for entrepreneurs to support their mental health and wellbeing. We also invite you to keep an eye on our social media platforms for entrepreneurs’ stories on how their businesses are prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, as part of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic challenges. You can find us on YouTube,Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Submission


wellbeing of small business

ConsumerCentriX launches Compassionate Leadership for Entrepreneurs to support wellbeing of small business owners

ConsumerCentriX is launching Compassionate Leadership for Entrepreneurs to support small business owners as they navigate uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disorienting effect on global health, economic activity, and our daily lives both professionally and personally. Business owners and entrepreneurs have been among those most affected by COVID-19 as lockdowns and border closures made it nearly impossible for them to continue their day-to-day operations. As small business owners work to recover from the effects of the pandemic, personal wellbeing should be a priority, as it affects decision-making, employee management, and ultimately a business’ bottom line.

Compassionate Leadership for Entrepreneurs will feature a series of informative blogs, webinars, and a local radio show that explore tools and tips for business owners to positively impact their wellbeing. The initiative draws on the concept of compassionate leadership, which is defined as interacting as a leader in ways that exhibit compassion for oneself and in relationship to others as well as acting intentionally to create positive impact in the world as a whole.[1] The first of three webinars in the Compassionate Leadership Public Engagement Series launches on November 4th, 2021 in partnership with Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited. In Rwanda, the Building Back Healthier Series launched with a local radio show held October 25. Two additional webinars are scheduled to take place this fall, the next in mid-November.

In tough business environments, leading with compassion takes courage and is rewarded with resilience. Compassionate Leadership for Entrepreneurs will take a deep dive into the positive impact of compassionate leadership and the importance of focusing on personal wellbeing. Stay tuned as we share strategies and tools to help entrepreneurs foster better work environments, build better business outcomes, and lead with compassion.

[1] Center for Compassionate Leadership. July 9, 2019. “What is Compassionate Leadership?


2021 Financial Alliance for Women

Anna Gincherman to Speak at 2021 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit

Anna Gincherman to Speak at 2021 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit

Anna Gincherman, a Partner at ConsumerCentriX, will speak at the Financial Alliance for Women’s Annual Summit for the third consecutive year. The Summit is known as the world’s most seminal and comprehensive event for women’s financial inclusion, with participation from bankers, policymakers, multilateral and bilateral officials, academics, and other stakeholders.

The 2021 Summit, titled “Investing in Women, Transforming Our World,” will address a wide range of topics, including introducing national measures to promote female-friendly entrepreneurial ecosystems, designing gender-aware fintechs, and developing tomorrow’s JEDI (justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion) workforce.

This year the event will take place virtually between October 5 and 7.

More information about the event can be found here.


Gender finance

MFW4A webinar: Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times

Gender finance

MFW4A webinar: Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times

Alejandra Rios, Partner at ConsumerCentrix, recently participated in a webinar hosted by  Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A).This article originally appeared on Platform Africa’s website

By Erica Yanice B.Essono Nze-Bekale, Darylle Tangara & Karungi Kajura

Women entrepreneurs represent a real opportunity for financial institutions provided they develop products and services as well as a suitable environment to meet their specific needs

Statistics have shown that female entrepreneurship in Africa is the highest in the world at 24 percent compared to 11 percent South East Asia Pacific and 9 percent Europe. It was also noticed that as borrowers, women entrepreneurs repay better than men. However, they face multiple constraints specific to them (household management, interruption of working life due to maternity and illnesses of their children). In addition, they are more vulnerable in times of crisis, but are better able to proactively seek solutions with Financial Institutions in times of crisis.

Addressing this issue, on 4 March 2021, the Making finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A) in collaboration with the IPC, Horus and IECD Consortium hosted a webinar entitled “Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times”. This session was the last of a series of four (4) webinars dedicated to banks and microfinance institutions in West and Central Africa within the context of the European Investment Bank (EIB) TA Financial sector programme for these regions.

Platform Africa covered the fourth session, and it dealt with topics relating to the financing of entrepreneurship and finance for women as an opportunity in such a crisis. The goal was to help realise the full potential of the African financial sector and stimulate economic development and reduce poverty.

The session was moderated by Edwige Takassi, from IPC GmBH and member of the Women in Africa Network and the three panellists sharing their insights on this topic were:  Kady Traoré, Managing Director of Fin’elle of Group Cofina;  Alejandra Rios, Partner at ConsumerCentrix and Head of the African Women Rising Initiative (AWRI) funded by the EIB, and Tania Colantone, Social Development Specialist at EIB.

 

READ FULL ARTICLE


Enhancing your Business Management Skills as Rwanda Reopens for Business 

Enhancing your Business Management Skills as Rwanda Reopens for Business 

February 18th, 2021, at 3 pm CAT 

Join the SME Response Clinic for a live discussion featuring business development services providers in Rwanda. Learn about opportunities to enhance your management skills as Rwanda reopens for business. The discussion will be hosted on the SME Response Clinic’s Facebook page on February 18th at 3 pm CAT and held primarily in Kinyarwanda.  

Moderator: Eric Musizana, Agriculture & Rural Finance Project Officer, Access to Finance Rwanda  

Panelists 

  • Dr. Mukulira Olivier, Managing Director at the Rwanda Institute of Cooperatives, Entrepreneurship, and Microfinance  
  • Sarah Mukunde, Senior Manager, Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali  
  • Malik Shaffy LizindeCountry Manager, African Management Institute  

ACCESS EVENT

Please note that the Livestream will not be available until 3 pm CAT on February 18th, 2021


Women Entrepreneurs

Relief Measures Available for Women Entrepreneurs During and Post Covid-19

Relief Measures Available for Women Entrepreneurs During and Post Covid-19

 New Faces New Voices Rwanda in collaboration with the SME Response Clinic will be hosting a live discussion focused on how public and private sector measures to address the economic effects of COVID-19 can support women entrepreneurs. The discussion will be hosted on the SME Response Clinic’s Facebook page at 3:00 pm on July 16 and will be held in English and Kinyarwanda.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play a significant role in the Rwandan economy and contribute to sustain livelihoods for many.  According to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda’s Establishment Census 2017, the sector, including private sector and cooperatives, represents 99% of businesses and over 70% of in-establishment employment. Women entrepreneurs are a vital force in Rwanda’s economy. Statistics from the National Gender Policy in Rwanda indicate that women head 42 percent of enterprises and comprise 58 percent of enterprises in the informal sector, which accounts for 30 percent of GDP. National surveys indicate that women entrepreneurs also have a tremendous impact on job creation in Rwanda, with many hiring between 3 and 5 employees to work in their businesses.

In addition to contributing to the development of their local communities through offering employment opportunities, women entrepreneurs contribute substantially to the development of their families through health and nutrition, ensuring funds are available for school fees and higher education for their children, and making improvements to their homes with profits from their businesses. Their contributions, however, are not without challenges. Women entrepreneurs in Rwanda face difficulties in access to three important factors: information, business skills training and development, and finance. They grapple with issues such as high taxes and transportation costs as well as discrimination in property ownership.

As in many markets across the globe, women entrepreneurs in Rwanda have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures to contain the spread of the virus have deepened some of the existing challenges they face. In the face of drops in demand or disruptions in the supply chains, a number of jobs have been lost or are at the brink while loans, taxes and rent are going unpaid. To respond to the challenge, the Government of Rwanda introduced the Economic Recovery Fund (ERF) as a mechanism to mitigate the threats that the pandemic is putting on the sector. Due to known barriers women in business face, there is a legitimate concern that without a deliberate effort women-owned/led MSMEs are likely to remain ill-informed and their uptake of ERF less than optimal.

To provide information about ERF and other private and public sector measures available to support women entrepreneurs in these uncertain times, New Faces New Voices Rwanda in collaboration with the SME Response Clinic will be hosting a live discussion focused on how government measures to address the economic effects of COVID-19 can support women entrepreneurs. The discussion will be hosted on the SME Response Clinic’s Facebook page at 3:00 pm on July 16. To increase accessibility for women entrepreneurs, the event will be held mostly in Kinyarwanda.

Panelists include:

Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Rwanda

Jeanne Françoise Mubiligi, Chairperson, Rwanda Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs

Claude Kabutware, Project Coordinator, Pro- Femmes Twese Hamwe

Hannington Namara, Managing Director, Equity Bank Rwanda

The panel will be moderated by Ida Ingabire, Secretariat at New Faces, New Voices Rwanda and Ruziga Emmanuel Masantura, Business Journalist, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency.

This discussion will be the first of a two-part conversation with key stakeholders in the Rwandan economy. The second webinar, scheduled for July 30, will focus on how financial services providers are addressing the specific needs of women entrepreneurs in the face of COVID-19.

ConsumerCentriX is a Proud Co-Sponsor of this Event


Microfinance Sector

Supporting Your Business Series: A Discussion with the Microfinance Sector

Microfinance Sector

Supporting Your Business Series

A Discussion with the Microfinance Sector

Join us on Facebook on June 18th for a live discussion with key stakeholders from the microfinance sector!

From 3:00 pm -4:15 pm on Thursday, June 18th, join the SME Response Clinic on Facebook for a live webinar with key stakeholders from the Rwandan microfinance sector hosted by Access to Finance Rwanda and the Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR).

You can join simply by opening up the SME Response Clinic page on Facebook at 3pm on June 18th. It will be your chance to learn more about the microfinance sector’s response to support SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SME Response Clinic’s goal is to provide more information to SMEs in Rwanda during the pandemic. The Clinic’s partners know that many small businesses are struggling with lack of cash flow, repayment of loans, and an uncertain future right now.

An important part of the response is already coming from the microfinance sector and other institutions. There are products and services in place that are meant to aid with issues of working capital, reduced revenue and liquidity. The key to managing a business and surviving the pandemic will be to stay informed, stay safe, and know what is available to you as a business person – especially if you operate in a hard-hit industry like tourism, hospitality or transport.

During the webinar, you will learn about products and services available from the microfinance sector. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with:

  • Jules Théoneste Ndahayo, Chief Executive Officer, UFC PLC and Chairman of the AMIR Board of Directors
  • Laurence Uwambaje, Director General, UMWALIMU SACCO
  • Grace Dushimimana, Chief Executive Officer, VisionFund Rwanda
  • Aimable Nkuranga, Executive Director, Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda

This webinar will be held primarily in English and will be moderated by Frank Baguma, Programs Officer, MFIs & SACCOs Development at Access to Finance Rwanda.

Please join us for this important event!

ConsumerCentriX is a Proud Co-Sponsor of this Event


Post Covid-19 Solutions for SMEs

Re-opening in a Post COVID-19 Environment: Practical Solutions for SMEs 

Post Covid-19 Solutions for SMEs
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBINAR

Please note that the webinar will not be accessible until 4:00pm on Tuesday, June 16th


Re-opening in a Post COVID-19 Environment:

Practical Solutions for SMEs 


A version of this article was originally posted on the COVID-19 Business Info Hub.

The COVID-19 Business Info Hub is launching a  webinar series  to provide practical advice and solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through engaging discussions with expert panelists. The first session,  Re-opening in a Post COVID-19 Environment: Practical Solutions for SMEs will be held on  Tuesday, June 16th at 4.00 pm. The webinar will provide SMEs and industry stakeholders an opportunity to discuss the  ”new normal” and share practical solutions that can help the sector in this time of crisis. 

Panelists include Gideon BadagawaExecutive Director of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU)Daniel BirungiExecutive Director of Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), and Hope Sharon KwiyocwinySales and Marketing Manager of HMH Rainbow Limited, YO KUKU. The session will be facilitated by Tony OtoaExecutive Director of Stanbic Bank Business Incubator, and hosted on Stanbic Bank Uganda’s Facebook Live page. The session  is open to ALL, irrespective of the financial institution you bank with!

The webinar comes at a critical time. Uganda has been on lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic for  close to three months, resulting in a myriad of challenges for SMEs, including disruptions in the supply chain, income loss, and changing work environments. A socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19 on the formal sector and SMEs by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) conducted in April 2020 reveals that 85 percent of all businesses anticipatefinancial distress after three months of lockdown. The expectation of loss is at least 90 percent across companies of all sizes.

The plight of SMEs during COVID-19 poses significant challenges to the Ugandan economy. As the engine of growth for economic development, innovation, and wealth creation, SMEs employ over 2.5 million people in Uganda and account for approximately 90 percent of the entire private sector, generating over 80 percent of the manufacturing output that contributes 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

With this in mind, Stanbic Bank Uganda  has deliberately prioritized efforts to support the SME sector in their time of need. In partnership with  ConsumerCentrix, Stanbic Bank Uganda has  launched the   COVID-19 Business Info Hub – a website dedicated to providing useful, practical information on key interventions including business training, useful government directives, and industry interviews to enable SMEs to stay afloat during COVID-19. 

We look forward to engaging with you on this relevant discussion towards practical solutions for SMEs. 

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Join SME Response Clinic on Facebook live with Rwanda Bankers

Supporting Your Business Series: A Discussion with the Banking Sector

Supporting Your Business Series: A Discussion with the Banking Sector

Join us on Facebook on May 28th for a live discussion with bankers!

From 3-4pm on Thursday, May 28th, join the SME Response Clinic on Facebook for a live webinar with Rwandan bankers hosted by Access to Finance Rwanda and the Rwanda Bankers Association.

You can join simply by opening up the SME Response Clinic page on Facebook at 3pm on May 28th. It will be your chance to learn more about what banks are doing to help SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SME Response Clinic’s goal is to provide more information to SMEs in Rwanda during the pandemic. The Clinic’s partners know that many small businesses are struggling with lack of cash flow, repayment of loans, and an uncertain future right now.

An important part of the response is already coming from banks and other institutions. There are products and services in place that are meant to aid with issues of working capital, reduced revenue and liquidity. The key to managing a business and surviving the pandemic will be to stay informed, stay safe, and know what is available to you as a business person – especially if you operate in a hard-hit industry like tourism, hospitality or transport.

During the webinar, you will learn about products and services like loan repayment holidays, loan moratoriums, lines of credit and overdraft facilities directly from Rwandan bankers. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with:

  • Maurice K. Toroitich, Managing Director of BPR Atlas Mara
  • Robin C. Bairstow, CEO of I&M Bank and Chairman of Rwanda Bankers Association
  • Christine Baingana, CEO of Urwego Bank

This webinar will be held primarily in English and will be moderated by Tony Francis Ntore, Executive Secretary of the Rwanda Bankers Association, and Jean Bosco Iyacu, Director of Programs at Access to Finance Rwanda.

Please join us for this important event!

ConsumerCentriX is a Proud Co-Sponsor of this Event


Africa Fintech festival 2019 -Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion, Africa Fintech Festival

Anna Gincherman to Speak at the 2019 Africa Fintech Festival

Anna Gincherman, a partner at Consumer CentriX, spoke on the panel  “Closing the Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion for Inclusive growth”  at the African Fintech Festival in Kampala, Uganda on November 5, 2019.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Africa Fintech Festival: The annual Africa Fintech Festival – is an annual point of convergence of ideas, trends, innovations, key debates on wide ranging issues ranging from reg-tech , consumer protection, disruption of savings, credit, insurance and pension value chains, to borderless operations, non-traditional partnerships, and game-changing business models.

This year, Uganda hosts the Africa Fintech Festival. Representatives from over 25 African nations – from regulators, policy makers, Fintechs, investors, banks (traditional, digital and neo  and more, will examine “the role of Fintech’s in Africa’s digital economy.”

The Africa Fintech Festival 2019 is being brought together by the Financial Technology Service Providers Association of Uganda (FITSPA) and Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FSDU).