The United States Embassy in the Philippines and SPARK! Philippines recently launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs in Bohol to promote the economic empowerment of women through education and mentorship.
"We are confident that AWE will help rebuild livelihood opportunities for local communities, empower more women in Visayas especially in light of recent disasters, and contribute to creating more resilient societies," US Embassy Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Pauline Anderson said.
AWE Bohol will provide entrepreneurial training to women from difficult backgrounds, including survivors of violence, illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and armed conflict. Members of indigenous groups will also be prioritized.
Throughout the three-month long program, beneficiaries will take courses that will equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to establish and expand their own businesses. This includes courses on market research, laws and regulations, business plan creation, cash flow projection, and digital marketing.
A second AWE, also led by SPARK! Philippines, will be launched in Zamboanga del Sur in December.
"We are honored to have the opportunity to run two cohorts of AWE in the Philippines. Launching AWE in Bohol and Zamboanga del Sur will give women from the marginalized sector more access to economic opportunities," said SPARK! Philippines Executive Director Maica Teves. "We are honored that SPARK! continues to be a strong partner of the US Embassy in empowering women and enabling them to provide for their families."
Launched by the US State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2019, AWE is a hybrid program that combines the use of DreamBuilder — an online business training curriculum developed by Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management — with in-class mentoring and facilitation.
Globally, the program has trained more than 16,000 women entrepreneurs in nearly 90 countries. In the Philippines, AWE has trained more than 180 women beneficiaries in Bacolod City, Cebu City, Manila, and Marawi City since its launch in October 2020, in partnership with the US Embassy's American Spaces.
