Focal area: Women’s entrepreneurship
-
Esther Altorfer (Sistema.bio)
Esther Altorfer joined Sistema.bio six years ago, serving in various functions across the finance and operations departments. Sistema.bio is a global social enterprise that first launched in Mexico 10 years ago, and has since expanded operations across Latin America, East Africa, and India. Premised on empowering smallholder farmers, Sistema.bio’s biogas systems convert animal into clean…
-
COVID-19 and Women’s Energy Entrepreneurship: A conversation with five women entrepreneurs about adapting to a crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new and unusual obstacles for industries around the world. The clean cooking and sustainable energy sectors are no exceptions. Women entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge, even as many are bearing additional responsibilities. To better understand these challenges, Sustainable Energy for All, the Clean Cooking Alliance, ENERGIA, and members of…
-
How the pandemic has changed Onyinye Onye Ndimele’s daily business
The corona virus is really affecting my business, because for weeks now, I have been indoor with my family. I cannot follow-up in the places I had gone before the lock-down to advertise my business and various appointments I made have been suspended because of the pandemic. Onyinye Onye Ndimele, a Solar Sister Entrepreneur…
-
How Assy Ba is coping with the severe impacts on her business
My business has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, due to the restrictions placed on travels. The economic impact on my activity is severe. Once my savings are gone, I will not have any other sources of income to feed my family, let alone to repay my business loan. Assy is a…
-
Kamala Bhattarai’s race against time
One morning, I went to my poultry farm to see the chickens and I was shocked seeing almost 700 chickens lying dead. I was speechless. I don’t know how I came back home. My daughter tried to talk to me but I was unconscious and could not respond to her. When I regained consciousness,…
-
Jane Anyango Kola’s post-coronavirus hopes for her community
I believe that this crisis could be an opportunity to promote clean and modern energy services in rural areas. This would also help my business grow, while improving health and education in my community. Jane Anyango Kola lives in Homabay Town, on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. She has been…
-
How do grid and off-grid systems enhance or restrict gender equality?
The following article has been written by Dr. Magi Matinga. Dr. Matinga works on modern cleaner energy access, transitions, and gender mainstreaming, focusing on research, policy analysis, project and programme development. She was a member of the research team who studied factors that enhance and restrict women’s empowerment through electrification. The findings of this study…
-
Aïssata Ba thinks outside the box to keep her business going in trying times
Following the success of her previous vegetable harvest, Aïssata Ba started a second agricultural cycle of tomatoes and cabbages, towards the end of 2019. From seeds to seedlings, she nurtured the crops using a solar-powered water pump to keep them well irrigated. Abundance of water and sun turned her 0.15 hectares of land in…
-
ENERGIA & partners analyze COVID-19 impact on gender and energy nexus
The coronavirus crisis is putting a tremendous strain on the global economy and public health systems, as well as on the energy supply and access systems that support them. It highlights and magnifies inequalities and the multiple forms of discrimination that women and girls face, including in the energy sector. The pandemic is moving beyond…
-
Sanu Maya Shrestha’s journey towards self-independence
Sanu Maya Shrestha, age 33, residing in the rural municipality of Konjyosom, Nepal, is a successful entrepreneur engaged in multiple enterprises with the support of her husband Surya Narayan Shrestha. Prior to building their business, they were engaged in family agriculture and vegetable farming, which was not sufficient to meet the increasing expenses of the…
-
I am proof that women too can excel in solar installations
Rebecca Aseyo is a 33-year-old solar sales agent for Sun King Company, in Kakamega County, Kenya. Widow and mother of three children, she also takes care of her sister’s two children. Apart from selling solar products, Rebecca also sells second hand ladies clothes. After a hard toil of sourcing funds to go to college…
-
Meena Basnet: “Supporting women entrepreneurs is what drives me”
By Gyanu Bist Meena Basnet has dedicated herself to supporting women entrepreneurs for 12 years. She has always been interested in social services. Encouraging startups and pushing existing entrepreneurs is her passion. “Mentoring helps women with decision-making, especially in rural areas. It reduces their feeling of isolation and improves their satisfaction. The handholding provided to…