Contact Base with support from U.S. Consulate General Kolkata successfully completed the fourth in the series of #mPowerWomen@Business Meet in Siliguri on 17^th August. This Meet is part of an on-going initiative “Women Wielding the Workplace” (WWW) which aims to develop a solution support network to enhance the participation of women in the workforce and the economy of South Asia. The event brought together over 50 women entrepreneurs from East Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, doing business in food, handicraft, agriculture, fashion, sustainable tourism, media & entertainment. There were some social businesses too who are trying to scale up their venture and generate more impact. Many of the entrepreneurs are at a very early stage in their business and shared their support requirements with the business mentors and experts present in the meet. Some of the women are part of Self Help Groups, doing small scale businesses in organic farming, making sanitary napkins, pickles etc. Experts from fields such as interior design, sustainable tourism, and social businesses provided guidance to women-led start-ups. The program was initiated by Dr Govinda Choudhury from Economics Department at North Bengal University, who presented the landscape of women’s entrepreneurship in the Eastern Himalayan Region. He shared the percentage of females working in marginal work is much more and lesser in the mainstream workforce. The event also featured sessions designed to enhance skills in strategy development by Rajbir Singh (Founder of i4mentors Foundation- a professional mentoring network) and digital marketing by Poulami Niyogi, an expert professional counselor. Entrepreneurs appreciated the suggestions provided by the experts in order to scale up their businesses. Representatives from various organizations participated in the event, including Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) North Bengal, Indian Chamber of Commerce, Sikkim Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Cell, i4Mentors Foundation, North Bengal University, and the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (FWEAN). Experts from FWEAN, shared that market linkage, packaging of products and branding are some challenges by women entrepreneurs. Participants promised to join the network of women entrepreneurs and mentors and be a part of the eco-system.

An overview: https://youtu.be/eCo9lQnK4mU?feature=shared