THE United States (US) embassy has called on organisations and individuals in Zimbabwe to participate in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) programme targeting non-profit organisations, civil society organisations, incubators, tech hubs and government alumni organisations.
In a statement this week, the US also invited targeted groups and individuals to design and implement an entrepreneurial programme for women to develop their skills, capabilities and resources to fully participate in the private sector.
According to the statement, participants are expected to take part in facilitated in-person and virtual sessions with established Zimbabwean and US entrepreneurs, alumni of US-funded exchange programmes and other experts from different fields that enrich the AWE programme.
The embassy said the proposals would integrate the online interactive Dream Builder course and elements from the online curriculum, the Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative, key topics in entrepreneurship and innovation as part of the proposal.
“The programme may be held in several locations, run cohorts of up to 30 participants and should have a strong American component, including US experts as guest teachers or coaches, articulated in the proposed activities syllabus,” the embassy said.
“Proposals that have site visits, seed funding, exchanges, pitch competitions, fairs, networking or other creative engagement elements will be more competitive.”
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The embassy said the programme was expected to increase participants’ understanding of business planning, financial forecasting, marketing and scaling up operations while connecting participants with US-based business experts to share models of running enterprises.
It would also comprise a network that supports female entrepreneurs through peer-to-peer mentorship to help grow businesses and drive local partnerships, as well as equip women entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge to build sustainable businesses.
“Implementing partner proposals should have a detailed recruitment strategy for the target population, clearly specifying how the embassy will be involved,” the statement said.
The embassy said the programme should follow up activities with AWE alumni after programme implementation to assess the impact of the programme.
“Proposals with sustainability, business partnerships and/or cost sharing built in will be more competitive. Budgets should be reasonable,” the embassy said.
“Projects that incorporate strong American components into their design will be prioritised over other proposals,” it added.
The grants offer organisations and individuals an opportunity to promote democratic principles including freedom of speech and civic participation to gain public confidence.