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| Shireen and Ridwan Ebrahim. |
By Fakir Hassen
The clichéd view of women loving heels took on a completely new meaning with a project to help empower women entrepreneurs that would already have been completed by now if the Covid-19 pandemic had not delay its finalisation.
In a different accolade for recognising enterprising women, HEELS is an acronym for Helping Every Exceptional Lady Succeed, a concept devised by businesswoman Shireen Ebrahim.
“I needed to find a good title for the project, and since women love shoes, this seemed to be ideal, although it might be generalising,” said Ebrahim, wo runs a range of community investments projects through Ubungcweti Management Services that she and her husband Ridwan own.
“HEELS was born at the very end of my working career as a businesswoman and going onto the philanthropy side to leave a legacy - not from a point of gloating or being overconfident - but rather sharing what I’ve learnt over the years and empowering others through it by giving back.”
Ebrahim said women in the small and medium enterprise sector, after securing funding from banks or elsewhere, often did not know how to sustain their businesses.
“HEELS will make women realise that everything in your life makes up the success factor, including your personal support structure, financial support, and your community.”
This personal support includes parents and spouses, said Ebrahim, adding that the death in May 2019 of her father, who had always lent such support to her, further motivated the project.
The project will be run not just through Ebrahim’s own company resources and experiences, but by collaborating with other women who have achieved success in business. Collaborators will receive special awards at a function to be held sometime next year after the Covid-19 lockdown has completely eased.
Ebrahim cited an example of a woman who might be having a home baking business.
“We will visit her with a team and set her up. Then we will give her marketing assistance through a website and social media with partners at no cost to them, thus lifting them out of poverty by getting their businesses going.”
Asked about the selection criteria, Ebrahim said that it had to be women with a passion for what they do, with nominations being trimmed down to assist between 20 and 50 women, depending on how much collaboration can be mobilised.
Already an online distance training partner is on board and negotiations are continuing with a number of major businesses who have been excited about the project.
“Indirectly, HEELS could also assist in addressing the terrible scourge of gender-based violence, by empowering women who are victims, and who often don’t want to report this because of their reliance on economic dependence on perpetrators, to become independent entrepreneurs,” Ebrahim said.
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